Teian no Kokoro
by Jigoku Hikari
Summary: After an incident, Joey and Kaiba slowly become friends. Soon, they realize that they're feeling something stonger, right before Marik intervenes. Limes.
1. Lonliness

Konnichiwa, peoples! (I really need to stop saying that in the beginning of every chapter I type...) I have yet another shounen ai to bring you, full blame going to my sister, JT.

JT: --looks up from reading shounen ai manga and waves--

It's her fault I got into liking shounen ai in the first place. ANYWAY!!!! I'll bet anything that you wanna read this story, so I'll hop right to it! --starts hopping away--

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. Do not mistake me for Kazuki Takahashi. Though... Can I have Kaiba? --cuddles with Seto Kaiba plushie, then gets glared at by JT--

Go easy on me, this is my first YGO story...

**Teian no Kokoro** (Proposal of Heart): Chapter One- Lonliness

A teenage boy, around the age of sixteen, sat in an expensive leather chair at his large desk, typing furiously onto the keyboard of his computer. His brown hair was kept neatly, and he was wearing a dark grey shirt with black pants with a purple trench coat. Long, delicate fingers moved qickly across the keys with manicured nails. His face was solemn, and icy blue eyes stared at the computer screen.

He looked up, hearing the door open. "What is it, Mokuba?" he inquired in a deep voice, laced with annoyance. "I'm busy, and this is the third time you've interupted me in the past hour."

The pre-teen stood beside the open doorway. "Joey's here again, " he said, "This time demanding a duel."

He turned back to the computer, starting to type once more. "Tell him that I cannot spare any of my time just to waste it on a third rate duelist like himself."

"But Seto..." Mokuba whined.

"Go." With that, his little brother left, shutting the door behind himself.

Seto Kaiba abruptly stopped typing, staring at the lettered and numbered buttons beneath his fingertips. He got up and went to the window, pulling the blinds up. Evening sunlight bathed him immediately. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, they focused on the street below. Four people were walking on the sidewalk, all of which he recognized from behind- Yugi Mutou, Tristan Taylor, Tea Gardner, and the blonde haired teen that he nicknamed 'Mutt'. Joey was storming away from the building, his friends following. Kaiba watched Tristan jog up to JOey and say something, making them all laugh. He watched them walk away until they turmed onto another street.

Sighing, he put a palm onto the sun-warmed glass. He also set his forehead against it and closed his eyes.

'Sometimes I loathe the position I'm in... CEO of Kaiba Corporation, inventor, world champion of Duel Monsters...' His eyes opened a little, revealing that their icyness was gone. It was replaced with a glaze of sadness. 'I long to be a normal teenager... With parties, girls, and freedom,... And friends. Ones that I can relate to and spend a lot of time with.' The hand on the window turned into a fist. 'Why did I choose this path...?'

He sighed again, getting off the window and closing the blinds. 'What am I thinking? This isn't like me. I have Mokuba, and that's all I need.'

Kaiba sat back in his chair and turned it to face the computer. He typed some more, watching each word appear on the screen. Once again, he stopped, a small smirk on his face.

'Girls... Having a girlfriend wouldn't be so bad...'

Joey Wheeler wrote his last words into a notebook. His blonde hair was in disarray, and he wore nothing but a pair of dark green boxers. He sucked on the end of his pencil, thinking of what to write next as he sat on his bed. He wrote a few more words, then smiled.

'Finished!' he thought happily. His chocolate brown eyes looked around suspiciously. 'Now where to hide it...? I can't risk having Tristan or Serenity getting their hands on it- they'll gladly take and hide it.' His eyes fell to the newly written page below him. 'Hm... Better spell check.' he started reading it inside his head.

'A dull and boring day. Me, Yug, Tristan, and Tea just spent the day in town, wondering around and doing pretty much nothing. Even went to Kaiba Corp. a few times to bug that class 1 jerk, Kaiba. Mokuba came out every time and said that he doesn't have any time to waste on me. Like I said before- Jerk! (I had asked for him to duel me, and of course got turned down.) I'm SO better than he thinks! --glares-- And he's not as good as he thinks, 'cause Yugi kicks his ass everytime!

'But I realized something today.It was after I got home and was just sitting here, listening to the radio. It feels like there's this... hole in my heart. It's not very big, but not so small to overlook it. It's like it's... lonliness, but I'm not sure how it can be. I have three great friends and Serenity... so how the heck could I be lonely? After thinking a bit... Is it because I don't have a love life? No one to have feelings for? I was never really good with girlfriends, so I gave up on them. But maybe if I get one, it could fill this hole I have... I dunno... Maybe as life goes on, I'll figure it out.'

Joey beamed as he shut the notebook. 'Yep. Perfect. And it's not a diary, it's a thoughts journal. Yeah... Diaries are for girls.'

Once hiding it under a stack of school books, he got up and shut the light off. He glanced over at his digital alarm clock, which read '12:17' Yawning widely, he sat on his bed and laid under the sheets, letting sleep come to him

T-T It so short.... I hate it. Which is why I put up a second chapter! More of a preview to Joey's and Kaiba's --cough-- blooming relationship. I love this couple... ANYWAY! Either review now or read on. BUT I WARN YOU- there's a lime. It's in Joey's "thoughts journal" entry. (I'll put an entry in each chapter.) So um, I'll just go now. In the words of Vash- Love and PEACE!


	2. First

Author's Notes: Konnichiwa, peoples! (I really need to stop saying that.) The second chapter of this wonderful story. How do I know it's wonderful? Because my shounen ai/ yaoi loving sister gave it two thumbs up and loves me to death for it. Anyway, you want the second chapter, so you my read it.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Wish I did, though... I'd be filthy rich!

**WARNING!** There is a lime, I repeat: LIME. So therefore, if you have no tolerance to limes, then do not read Joey's "Thoughts journal" entry, which is in the very beginning of this chapter. You have been warned. Mu-ha-ha...

**Teian no Kokoro**: Chapter Two- First

'I had a really disturbing dream last night. I was layin on this really big bed, and my legs were covered by a light sheet. I could feel a tiny draft from somewhere, and I instantly realized that I was naked. I couldn't see anything 'cause there wasn't a single ray of light. I felt the bed shift, and a person held itseft above me. 'Who are you?' I had asked.

'It let out a deep chuckle, revealing that it was a man. I freaked a little, and tried to push him away, but couldn't- my wrists were tied to the bed posts. With belts.

'He lowered himself and gave my lips a small kiss, and then did it again. For some reason, my tenseness faded away when he started frenching me. As that happened, one of his hands came down and took the sheet off my legs, allowing cold air to hit my entire body. He lightly rubbed his cock against mine, and I dunno why, but I moaned.

'The mystery guy stopped the frenching , straddling my thighs. He rubbed my chest with warm hands, then slid them down, sending unknown sensations down my spine. He continued further down and started to fondle and play with my cock, and I moaned some more. I came a minute later into his hands, and I felt him shift again. 'Lick it,' I had heard him say. Obeying, I stuck my tongue out, to be greeted by a hand that was covered in someting that was very wet and hot. And I licked. Let's just say that I had to change when I woke up.

'But why would I dream of such a thing? How could I even _like_ that? I'm straight! I just don't understand, 'cause I've never had a dream like it before. Maybe it's one of those dreams that I'll only have once in my lifetime. I sure as hell hope so.'

Seto Kaiba was the last to emerge from the conference room. Carrying a large stack composed of papers and books, he shut off the light before closing one of the double doors leading inside. Silently, he turned and went down the hall and steeped into the metal elevator. He pressed a button, making the doors close and start upwards.

He let his eyelids cover his eyes, making his world black. 'That was the most piontless meeting I've ever attended. I actually almost fell asleep... What's wrong with me these days...?'

There was a 'ding!', and the silver doors opened before him. Opening his eyes, Kaiba stepped out and walked into the first doorway on the left. The teen proceeded toward his desk, dropping the papers onto it. 'As much as I hate to admit it, I need a break. Maybe I could take a walk... clear my mind a little.' He headed back out the door and got back in the elevator, taking it down to the first floor.

Kaiba walked outside, bright sunlight instantly hitting his pale skin. He was wearing a black long sleeve shirt with black leather pants, his arms having two belts each. A white, sleeveless, gravity defying trench coat hung inches from the ground as he walked away from his building with folded arms.

Icy blue eyes darted around as he walked down the almost deserted sidewalk. He watched as various cars zoomed up and down the street, mothers taking their children into department stores, businessmen rushing to work an early afternoon shift. He even saw a group of teens around his aga start into a side alley.

'Naughty high school stoners...' he thought with amusement. 'Hm, sounds like fun. Maybe I should join the club and get into that great night life that they brag about.'

'Great... Now I'm making jokes... What next?'

"Get da hell away from me!" a boy yelled with a gang-ish accent from somewhere nearby.

"I said give it here, brat!"

Kaiba stopped at the opening of a small alley. At the end was a dead end, and four strongly built men were hiding a fifth person from view. All of them were wearing some sort of a muscle shirt, and three were wearing thoroughly worn jeans. The fourth was wearing tight leather pants.

"What if I don't got no money?!" siad the hidden fifth person angrilly, "What if I'm flat broke?"

Kaiba squinted down the allay. trying to see who was being hidden. 'I recognize that voice... And the accent...'

A thug with black hair that went to his broad shoulders brought a chain from his pocket. "I'm sure we'll find sometin'..."

The thug wearing leather got closer to the hidden person. "Nah... I want a piece of this one. He looks like he'd be quite pleasing without clothes on..." His right arm reached out to the boy.

Kaiba's eyes widened as he watched Joey Wheeler push the thug away, getting closer to the brick wall behind him. "Sorry man, I don't swing that way." Kaiba noticed that he looked brava and bad, but his eyes told that he was very scared.

An arm started to go around Joey's waist, pulling im closer. "We'll just have to change that..." the thug said softly as Joey's chocolate eyes widened in horror.

"Hey!" Kaiba yelled, unable to watch any longer. All four thugs turned.

"Is that Seto Kaiba?!" asked a brown haired teen with a thin scar scar on his left cheek.

"Shit! It is! Scram!" yelled the one with the chain.

The thugs scattered, jumping onto dumpsters and piles of boxes and disappearing onto the roofs of the surrounding buildings.

Kaiba approached Joey, watching as his knees gave out. Brown eyes watched him come closer, and Kaiba was unable to read them this time. He stoppped inches away from Joey's feet and extended a hand to help him up.

'What am I doing...?' he vaguely thought.

Joey looked up at him questioningly, but still took his hand to help himself up. "You didn't have ta... do that...," he sai quietly, staring at Kaiba's chest rather than his eyes.

"Not even you deserve that," he replied, looking Joey over to make sure he wasn't injured. "You okay?"

Joey nodded, patting dirt off his jeans. "Yeah... The jerks, came at me from nowhere and backed me into dis alley... I'll get 'em back!"

Kaiba smirked as he started to walk away. "Don't kid yourself, Mutt. If you couldn't do anything to them this time, it'll be the same next time, and I won't be around to save you from being beaten and raped."

The blonde's attitude faltered, seeming like he just realized what would've happened if Kaiba hadn't walked by. He jogged up to Kaiba's left side as they turned onto the sidewalk. "Um... Kaiba... thanks," he said quietly.

Kaiba still kept his solemn expression. "You owe me."

"Heh, I guess I do..." said Joey, scratching the back of his head. He then squinted darkly. "Whaddya want me to do? Let you walk me up and down da streets like a dog? Be your personal butler for a week?"

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "As much as I'd like both of those, no. I'm being serious."

"Great..." Joey said slowly as they turned onto another street. "Kaiba's being serious... So how do I pay ya back, Mister Serious?"

"I'm not sure..." Kaiba said truthfully.

An image went into his mind, making him stop abruptly. It was of himself and Joey, his face buried into the blonde's neck. Both of them were shirtless, and Joey's eyes were closed. He looked as if he was being pleasured.

'What the-?!' his mind screamed, immediately dismissing the thought.

Joey had also stopped, looking back at Kaiba. "Whydya' stop? See somethin'?"

Kaiba's widened eyes went back to normal, letting out the breath that had hitched in his throat. "No... It was nothing."

Both of them continued down the street in silence. They looked straight ahead of themselves, not letting their eyes stray. An apartment building came to their left side as they continued down the street. When they came to the sidewalk that led to the front door, Joey stopped.

"Well, dis is where I was headin' in da first place, so uh... I'll see ya," said joey.

Kaiba stopped and nodded to him. "Remember that you owe me."

Joey smiled as he started down the sidewalk. "Yeah, I'll keep dat in mind. " His back turned toward the CEO and waved a hand. "Don't work too hard!"

Kaiba watched the teen head toward the door. 'Great. I'm being friendly to the Mutt... I save him from being raped, then speak to him without any snide remarks...Hm.' His eyes strayed from Joey's back, going downward as the boy opened the door. 'Hm... Nice ass, Mutt."

His eyes instantly widened, realizing what he'd thought. 'Oh my God.' He hurridly turned and started back toward Kaiba Corp. 'Oh... my... God...'

A/N: LMAO! I love that ending part... This is going to get very humorous for the next few chapters. And I love it!!!

This chapter is called 'First' for the following reasons1. Joey's first time dreaming of that. 2. Kaiba realized that he needed a small break. (About time!!!) 3. First time he saved Joey. 4. They talked without getting into a shouting match. 5. Kaiba looked at Joey's ass!!! LMAO!!!

Um... So if you would, PLEASE, review! I'll love you 4E, I swear... Um, wait, screw that. I have better people to love. (J/K) In the words of Inuyasha: You need more fiber! (ROTFLMAO)

(Note: Just for the heck of it, at the end of each chapter, I'm gonna put a quote from one of my fav. anime characters. If you have any requests, make an excuse to send a review!)


	3. Lunch

Author's Notes:... Aloha! (Haha! I fooled you!) Wow. This story is more popular than my other YGO story that I'm working on. YAY! (It's angst, which isn't really my thing.) I hope I get more reviews! Then again, who wouldn't want more reviews for their story...? --ponders-- Oh well! I'm glad everyone liked this story, especially the ending to chapter two... But whatever. Onward with the story!

**Review Responses:**

Jigoku Tenshi: YAY! The first reviewer! Thank you, sissie! And... well... Fine, you're the yaoi queen. Can I sue you then?

Kumori Sakusha: Is this soon enough? I try to update within two to four weeks whenever I have a story up. Any longer, and I'll get annoyed with myself.

Flame Swordswoman: (I take it that you're the Flame Swordsman's wife. ) Yes, I couldn't help putting that part in. I hope you like this chapter, 'cause it's even funnier.

Dark-Mage-Quistits: Of course I'll keep going! How could I not?! In fact, this story will be exactly twelve chapters long, plus an epilogue, then a special chapter. (The entire thing's been written already) Now with all that, how could I stop at just chapter two?!?!

Moonlight-6056: Oh yes- I am VERY creative... No, wait until you read chapter 10 of this story, THEN say I'm creative. (I had lots of fun writing that chapter...)

Burnsidegirl: Of course the end was great- I wrote it!

Silver Wing tamer: No, Kaiba doesn't swing that way... YET. Neither does Joey. YET.

**Disclaimer:** Um... Do I have to put this in every chapter? I mean, if you were smart, you would've seen the disclaimer in the other 2 chapters.... --sigh-- I don't own any characters used in this story. There, happy?

**WARNING! **... There will be humor in this chapter. If offended by such things... you're weird...lol.

**Taian no Kokoro: **Chapter Three: Lunch

Kaiba shut his bedroom door and leaned on it with his eyes closed. 'What a weird day...' he thought as he sighed. 'And I got nothing done... But why am I so tired?'

He walked in the complete darkness, taking off his trench coat. Collapsing on the bed, he crawled to the pillows and curled into a ball. Before closing his eyes, he glimpsed at his digital alarm clock. 'Two-forty... Hm... I can't believe I looked at Joey's ass. Crap! I called him by his name! What the hell is wrong with me?!' He sighed again and got under the sheets.

'I hope I'm back to normal tomorrow, and with no distractions...'

"Did you get it?" Marik said coldly.

A man dressed in a dark gray cloak kneeled down and presented something on a red cushion. It was pure gold, and was the shape of a small sphere.

"Yes, Master Marik," he replied.

Marik plucked the treasure off the pillow and examined it. "Ah yes. This is it." He started to smirk. "My collection is growing. And once I get my Millenium Necklace from my dear sister, I'll be able to do whatever I please! Hm..." The smirk started to fade as he thought about something. "Yes... maybe I'll just plot to do something evil to a certain someone... Yes..." His attention went back to the Rare Hunter before him. "Fetch my necklace. I have a score to settle..."

Seto Kaiba was, once again, walking down the street with his arms folded. 'What in the hell am I doing...?' he asked himself annoyingly, 'I need to work. But yesterday's walk proved... pointless. Well...' His thoughts went to Joey and his thug problem, but he quickly pushed them away.

He stopped as he came up to a very familiar opening to a small alley. It had a dead end, and against the the two buildings that made up the alley were various boxes and two dumpsters. It was the same one that Joey had been cornered in. 'I guess I'll never be able to forget...'

His thoughts were stopped when he heard and felt his stomach growl loudly. 'Crap. Should've ate before going on a joy walk.' He glanced around, and noticed a diner directly across the street. 'Well... It has food...'

Moments later, he found himself at a corner booth, reading a menu as a waitress beside him waited for his order. "I'll have a double cheeseburger with a Coke. No ice." The girl, looking only a year older than himself, scribbled his order onto a small notepad, smiled, then went away.

Kaiba blinked, staring blankly at the sat across from him. 'I can't believe I just ordered that.'

A bell sounded through the room, indicating that a person had just gone through the front door. Curious, Kaiba looked up from inspecting his already perfect fingernails. There in the doorway stood Joey Wheeler, looking around for a vacant table. His eyes landed on Kaiba, and he headed toward his table.

Kaiba watched soundlessly as Joey took a seat across from him. The waitress came and set down a double cheeseburger and a glass of a dark brown liquid. She then turned to Joey. "Hey Joey. The usual?"

The blonde grinned. "O' course! It's the only thing I'll eat here!" Upon hearing this, the girl walked away.

"What do you think you're doing, Wheeler?" Kaiba scowled as he glared.

"What does it look like I'm doin', _Kaiba_?" Joey replied, smirking.

The teenage CEO picked up his sandwich. "I'd like to eat alone, if you wouldn't mind," he said before taking a bite from the burger.

"Too bad." Joey looked up, to see the same girl put a double cheeseburger, an ice cream sundae, and a chocolate milkshake in front of him. Smiling, he took a coin from his pocket and stuck it in her apron pocket. "Thanks, Kaze," he said. The girl smiled and walked away, letting Joey's attention go back to Kaiba. "So, what're ya doin' here?"

"I'm drawing a picture," Kaiba said sarcastically. He took a drink from his Coke. "And it's of you, wearing your cute littlt doggie costume I added a collar on your neck, and it says 'Mutt' on it. I hope you don't mind..." He added a smirk, letting it sat in.

"Geez," said Joey, picking up his own cheesesburger, "I try to be friendly, and dis is what I get. Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome," Kaiba said with a mouthful of partially chewed food, accidently spraying a few specks of it onto the table.

Joey snorted. "You're not supposed to talk wit your mouth full, Kaiba, " he sneered, "Weren't you taught any mann'rs?"

Kaiba glared, still chewing his food. "Shaddup, Wheeler," he said, a few more specks of food going on the table. This made Joey chuckle.

Both teens calmed down and ate their lunches. By the time Kaiba was only halfway done with his burger, Joey had already finished his and was starting on his sundae. Kaiba swallowed and watched the teen scoop a large amount of the ice cream and put it into his mouth, accidently letting some hit the table before it reached its target. Kaiba almost smiled. "Maybe I should call you 'Pig', rather than 'Mutt'. It seems like it's suit you better."

Joey glared as he let the ice cream slide down his throat. "Oh, you wanna start dat, huh? Fine... I can play too. So, what's wit your voice? It's all deep, and you sound like a' adult at sixteen! What, did you start puberty when you were like, ten? Den have de voice change right before twelve?" He eyes the two belts that were on both of Kaiba's arms. "Belt boy," he smirked.

Kaiba set down his burger and stood, looming over Joey. "I will not tolerate this!"

Joey stared up at Kaiba, then at his unfinished cheeseburger. "You gonna finish dat?" he asked, pointing at it.

His eyes went downward, and he sat again. "Yes," Kaiba said, picking it up and taking a chunk out of it with his teeth, "I am."

The blonde laughed, scooping out some ice cream that was covered with chocolate syrup. "I thought so."

Kaiba finished his lunch, then took another drink from his pop. "I must be going now."

Joey watched him stand up. "Oh, come on..." he said slowly, "Stay a while. You must've left your precious office for some time off. Why're ya rushin' back? Just stay a while." He batted his eyelashes. "Please?"

Kaiba held down a laugh as he sat back down. "Whatever. Why _should _I stay, to watch you eat?"

"No," he said after drinking some of his milkshake. "Look," he said seriously, "I jist... wanna be on friendly terms wit you. I mean, you've helped out my friends more den once, you helped me yesterday in dat alley... You even yourself that I owe you, and I feel like I do. But I don' know how I should, since I barely know you." He stared at Kaiba, no trace of joking in his eyes or features. "So jist... give it a chance?"

Kaiba stared at Joey. 'Friends with the geek. Hm... a friend...' One of his eyes slightly flinched. 'With a geek. The Mutt, the Pig...' His mind remembered times from Duelist Kingdom and Battle City when Joey had done everything he could to stay with his friends, and made sure none of them got hurt, because they were his _friends_...

"Friends with the Mutt..." Kaiba voiced aloud, sinking deeper into his seat. "Hm..."

'A friend... Someone that I can relate to and spend time with, and enjoy myself....'

He shrugged. "Sure, I'll give it a shot."

Joey's face lit up. "Great!" His arm shot out so that they could shake hands, knocking over his half empty milkshake. "Oops..."

Kaiba covered his face with his left hand. "Great... Mutt, Pig, and now Klutz. Should I add anything else?"

"Shuddup, smart ass," Joey said angrily, starting to clean the mess up with napkins.

Kaiba smirked, taking a napkin and helping. 'This could prove to be very interesting...'

'I had lunch with Kaiba today. He was being his smart ass self, but it was... fun. I ahd a few laughs. And he actually agreed to try to be friends with me. I think it'll be cool being friends with him. He seems cool, it's just that he's so... cold. Hell, even his eyes are icy. But, even I admit, they're pretty. His eyes, I mean. They're blue, not dark or light, and they're icy... I can't figure out what makes 'em pretty, they just are.

'Great... I'm sounding gay again. But I'm not! I think Kaze at the diner's hot,and Mai has a nice body... I like _girls_! --glare-- And bi. is out of the question.

'Anyway, so I went to Yugi and Tea after my lunch with Kaiba. I told 'em that I'm tryin' to be friends with Kaiba, plus my reasons why. They said that it's great, but they won't get involved until he's completely friendly. Me and Kaiba agreed that this is just a trial thing, so I don't know how long it'll last. I hope it's a while...'

END CHAPTER

Well? Likes, dislikes? I likes it all if you ask me. Then again, I wrote it! Oh- I made Kaiba think it weird that he was ordering a double cheeseburger cause one would think that he eats salads and caviar, and all that other barf- worthy crap. lol. So! Any predictions to what Marik is scheming? I bet none of you'll ever guess. (And don't think that you already know, JT, because I'm going to change it.) Anyway, you review. I type another chapter to my other YGO story. In the words of... me: --sounding like one of the little girls off Rurouni Kenshin-- Uncle Kenny wet the beeeed!!! lol. (I know I said that I'd put in quotes from anime people, but this one is ABOUT one...)

ADVERTISEMENT: **Samusa Naraku**

It's the other YGO story I have up. Another J/K, of course! Anyway, it's where Joey gave Kaiba a note, telling him how he felt. Kaiba stopped talking to him after that, so he's been thrown into this really deep depression. Angst isn't normally my thing (like I said b4), but it's still worth checking out, I promise! (If it says anything, even JT likes it! Then again, she likes every shounen ai I write...And she's really into angst...)

WARNING! Humorous chapter will be up soon! Spoiler- Chapter Four: Face Off. Any guesses as to why it is called that? Tell me in a review...!


	4. Face Off

…KONNICHIWAAAAAA!!!! Yes, I know, sue me for taking so long to update. GOOOOOMEEEEEEN!!!!!!!!!!! I'm hyper. I've been annoying JT with my hyperness. Then again, she's happily occupied with Devil May Cry 2… "AHH!! Don't do that! I'M GONNA DIIIIIIEEEE!!!!… Woo, he's hot…" She has a short attention span when it comes to her favorite bishouen. Dante is one of them.

ANYWAY!!! Onward to the story!!! Sorry, but I'm lazy, and don't feel like listing all the ppl who reviewed. You know who you are, and you are loved!!!!

**Teian no Kokoro:** Chapter Four- Face Off

'Hm… Friends with the Mutt…' Kaiba thought, sitting back in his chair with his long legs crossed and propped up on the corner of his desk. 'I can't stop thinking about it. The Mutt, my _friend_… Hm.'

A desk intercom beeped, and a woman's voice started talking. "Sir, Joey Wheeler is here to see you. Should I send him away?"

"No," Kaiba answered, "Send him up."

"Sir?"

Kaiba scowled. "You heard me."

He didn't have to wait long, for the door opened a minute later. He watched Joey stick his head in. "You in here?" Upon seeing Kaiba, he smiled and proceeded in. "Hey man!" He greeted.

Kaiba cocked an eyebrow. "'Man'? Whatever. What is it that you want?"

"What…? Can't I spend time with you?" asked Joey. "Seems okay with you, since you let me up here in the first place. Plus, it doesn't look like you're busy or anything. If you were, you'd be typing, writing, or whatever it is that you CEO people do."

Kaiba sighed, placing his legs beneath his desk. "Good eye, Mutt. Would you like a bone?"

Joey showed him a clenched fist. "You shut up, Kaiba! I'm not a Mutt!"

"Fine, Pig," he said, getting up. "Shall we go?"

Joey blinked, watching him walk around the desk. "Huh? Where go?"

Kaiba proceeded to walk past him and headed for the door. "Somewhere other than here, obviously. Should I start calling you a Neanderthal? Because it seems as if your brain works like one."

The blonde went to catch up. "You shouldn't talk, _Belt Boy…_"

Both teenage boys walked into the elevator. The metal double doors shut behind them, Kaiba pressing a button which held the number 1 on it. "Oh please," he said, leaning on the side wall, "Here I am, thinking of so many more things to call you, and you're still stuck on Belt Boy! Really, Wheeler, it's getting old fast."

Joey glared at him. "I'll probably think of more by the end of the day…"

Kaiba smirked. "I highly doubt that your Neanderthal mind can process anything of the sort. Hmm…" he said, starting to stroke his chin, "Maybe I should draw another picture of you. You'll have a highly amusing scowl, and you'll be wearing a very nice loincloth that you most likely stole. Oh!" He couldn't help but smile as he watched Joey get slowly angrier. "And I'll make you carry around this pathetic stick, and I'll make you ran ton about how it's a weapon of mass destruction, and that you've killed hundreds of your fellow cavemen with it."

'Heh… No more civil conversations with him now…'

They stared at each other, Joey glaring, Kaiba smirking. A moment later, joey burst out laughing, taking the CEO by surprise. He blinked, clearly dumbfounded. Joey continued laughing when he saw his expression.

"That's good, Kaiba!" he laughed. "You should become a comedian with that stuff!"

Kaiba let a true smile come to his lips, one without sarcasm or trickery. 'Hm… This may turn out better than I thought.'

The elevator dinged, the doors opening to let them out. Ahead of them were quite a few glass doors and windows. Off to the right was a desk, where a woman sat, staring at the computer screen.

"Are you going out again, sir?" she inquired as the teens walked past her.

"Yes," Kaiba answered. "Take all calls and transfer the messages to my desk. I'll be gone a while."

The secretary bowed her head respectfully. "Yes, sir."

Both boys went out the front doors, letting the early morning sunlight drench them. Joey turned his head to Kaiba as they went on. "So where to?"

Kaiba shrugged. "Anywhere, I guess. Any place in mind?"

Joey grinned. "How 'bout a strip club?"

Kaiba glared. "We're underage, baka. Plus, I doubt any are open this early." He led them down a less busier street. "Also, I would never set foot in such a place. They're only for low-lifes and thugs. You-" He looked beside him at the blonde who was walking in stride with him, "I notice are a wanna be thug, so no wonder why you ever suggested such a thing."

"What the hell makes you think that?" Joey outburst.

Kaiba smirked. "I've seen you in school, hanging out with the group that consists of bullies that pick on every person smaller than them. All of you live for the thrill of beating up people. Plus, one could easily tell that you are one just from the way you talk. The accent gives it wawy. Oh! And I remember the days when you and your unicorn buddy always had Yugi as your target. Ironic how you're so close now…"

Joey squinted darkly at him. "Isn't it ironic how even though you're attempting to put me down, I'm still with you?"

"No, I think that's more of your own stupidity," Kaiba answered.

"You agreed that we'd try to be friends, and so far, I don't think it's working out too well," said Joey.

Kaiba's attention went to the ground, staying silent for a minute, letting thoughts come to his mind. "I apologize," he said quietly.

Joey almost stopped in his tracks in surprise. "You're… sorry?" He watched Kaiba slowly nod. "Wow… I wasn't expecting that…"

Kaiba grinned, then held up his right hand. His index and middle fingers were intertwined. "You really think I was serious there? HA! Like I'd apologize to the likes of _you_, Wheeler."

"Tch…" said Joey, looking away and folding his arms. "Typical Kaiba."

"Typical Mutt…" said Kaiba, struggling to hide his smile.

"Jerk," said Joey.

"Pig."

"Smart ass."

"Klutz."

"Belt Boy."

"Geek."

"… Belt Boy"

Kaiba laughed openly. "It figures! You're _still_ stuck on Belt Boy, and I haven't even gotten started!"

Joey hunched his shoulders as he glared. "Shut up! Just… gimme a minute, I'll think of somethin'…"

"Neanderthal," Kaiba smirked.

"Umm…"

Kaiba's smirk grew. "I guess Belt Boy is the best you can come up with. Well, you know what? These belts could come in handy. I could easily take one off and whip you all around this city. Or, I could use two or three to belt you to a bed and torture you slowly." His eyes went to the sky, hand coming up to finger his chin. "Hmm… just _thinking_ about that one makes me horny…"

Joey's eyes widened in horror, starting to side step away from Kaiba. "Eep…!" he squeaked.

Kaiba noticed his horrified expression and how he was further away. "I was KIDDING, Wheeler!" he shouted.

Joey stared at him, then coughed. "Yeah, uh… I knew that. 'Course you were just joking…"

Icy blue eyes rolled. "You really think I'd do such a thing to you? Ha. I would never, even if I was desperate."

"Same here!" said Joey.

They walked on in silence. The street they were on had more run down buildings than the busy ones, and not even other people were walking on the sidewalks. It was dead silent, other than the sound of their shoes hitting the concrete as they walked. Then out of the blue, they heard faint music. As they walked on, it continually got louder.

"What is that?" questioned Kaiba.

Joey concentrated, closing his eyes. They got closer, going up a hill. "I know I've heard that music from somewhere…" His eyes lit up. "I know now!"

Kaiba stopped on the top of the hill, looking down the street ahead of them. There stood Domino Pier, right on the vast ocean. On the main pier sat a busy carnival, live with people, music, and the scent of food. "So do I."

Joey looked at him. "Shall we?"

Kaiba smiled, another true one. "We shall."

'I had actually forgotten that the Domino Pier Carnival was up. I normally go every year! When me and Kaiba were walkin' around, we found it and decided to go. It was pretty damn fun! I coaxed him into riding a kiddy slide 3 times, making us both look like total idiots. We went on that spinning strawberry ride… I spun it so fast that I made Kaiba turn green. (Green isn't his color…) I bought us both some ice cream cones. Some got on the tip of his nose, and I didn't tell him about it. He went off on me royally for not telling him after it melted and went up his nose when he inhaled. It was absolutely hilarious. After that, we just walked around, looking at what else there was this year. At one booth, a lady tried to sell us crayons. That cracked both of us up.

'Anyways, it had ben fun. The day started off bad, 'cause he wouldn't stop criticizing me. (I have a new name- Neanderthal.) But we got along really well when we were at the carnival. I wonder why that is…

'I never noticed something until today. Then again, I normally try to shut out his voice, so I never pay attention. Anyway! I realized how… Kaiba's voice sounds so…_seductive_. It's all deep and husky, and seducing. I'll bet that he could get any girl he wanted with a voice like that. Hell, guys could probably fall for it, too. I just… can't get over it. Yeah, I made fun of it yesterday at lunch, but… damn…'

END CHAPTER FOUR

Was it worth the wait? In my mind, I don't think it was. But I swear to you, things are going to get good from this point on. I promise. Teh heh heh… I have this urge to put a preview, so here it is.

"Is something wrong?"

He shook his head and looked at Kaiba. "Nope. Just thinking. Why?"

"Just wondering."

'What was that look in his eyes…?'

"Are you sure, Joey?" Kaiba asked. Joey nodded silently, going back to watching the rain.

'…Since when have I called him by his name? I don't remember when I started…' He watched the teen put his elbow on the desk, resting the side of his head on his palm. 'It feels like… I wanna tell him something… But what?'

I think I'll stop there. There's more to that last paragraph, but anymore would give stuff away. I am a Jigoku for a reason! MUAHAHAHAHA!!! (See, JT? I DO have an evil laugh! HA! BURN!) Anyway, here is a quote from our wonderful Joey himself: " I'll warm you up AND wear you out!"

JT: …those dub peoples REALLY need to watch what they're translating…


	5. Realization

Hello, oh wonderful readers! I would've updated sooner, but I've been working on updating my other story. Gomen! But, here it is, the next chapter. Enjoy! -grin-

...I'm so lazy NEmore. Whoever reviewed, you know who you are. -pays each one a million dollars- Here's your prize. I love you all!

**Disclaimer:** ... F.U. -runs away crying-

**WARNING! **Like chapter 2, this starts out with a lime. I warned ya!

**Teian no Kokoro:** Chapter Five: Realization

'I had that dream again. You know, the one where I'm belted to the bed and making out with some strange guy I don't know? Yeah, THAT one. The same stuff happened, but with two differences. I could hear a storm going on outside, the thunder booming and rain hitting the roof and window. And it went further.

'After I licked my own cum off his hand, we started frenching again. He ran his fingertips all over me, sending chills down my spine. I... I didn't want him to stop... But, he did. He sat up, straddling me, before opening my legs. And I let him. It was then that lightning struck, the light coming in from a crack in the curtains. The brief light allowed me to glimpse at who I was about to have sex with. A glimpse was all I needed.

'It... It was _him_... Seto. Kaiba.'

One Week Later

Seto Kaiba heard the door open. He didn't even bother looking up from the glowing computer screen, typing stedily fast, actually faster than usual. "What is it?"

Mokuba walked up to the desk and wathed the words and figures appear on the screen. "You've been here since six this morning, Seto, and it's Sunday. You normally take Sundays off. What's the problem?"

Kaiba still didn't look away from his ministrations. "I've barely gotten anythig done, what with school and hanging out with Jo-... Mutt. I'm trying to get as much done as I can because I have somewhere to be today."

"Joey?" Mokuba guessed.

He nodded once. "I haven't really been with him the past two days, so I promised that we'd go somewhere today." He glimpsed at his younger brother. "And you know how I am with promises."

Mokuba nodded, looking at his brother. "Joey's really your friend now, isn't he?" He watched Kaiba's hesitant nod. "Oh, don't deny it. But anyway, I came because I wanted to ask you something..."

"The carnival?" Kaiba finished. "I'll take you tomorrow." He tore his eyes away from the keyboard to look into Mokuba's. "I promise."

His face lit up. "Sweet! Thanks, Seto!" He bowed his haed. "I'll let you work now so that you can have fun with Joey. Have fun!" With that, he ran out of the room.

Kaiba went back to typing, this time more slowly. '... I think he was hinting at something there... Must be my imagination.' He glimpsed at the clock in the lower right hand corner of the screen. 'Ten o' five. Not bad. I told Joey between eleven and twelve.' He clicked the save button and exited the program. He then opened a drawer in his desk and took out a notebook and a few loose papers. Taking the pen that was already on his desk and uncapping it, he opened the book to a page.

'...Kamisama, I don't want to do this...' He took a small pack out of the papers and put it in front of him. 'Let's see, I'll probably come home around midnight again, the carnival opens at noon tomorrow...' He sighed inwardly, seeing the list of things that he had yet to do. 'Tomorrow's going to be tiring, especially on a lack of sleep...' He began to work on the paper.

Fifteen minutes later, a woman began to talk on his desk intercom, snapping him from his train of thought. "Sir, you have a call on line one."

Kaiba set his pen down and pressed the now blinking number on his phone. "Kaiba here," he said, once picking the receiver up and putting it to his ear.

"Hey, Kaiba," said the voice of Joey on the other end, "Workin' hard?"

"Oh yes," said Kaiba sarcastically. "No, not really. I was just about to finish." He picked up the pen and signed the last page.

"How long have you been there?"

"Since six," he answered, starting to shove things back into the drawer.

"SIX!" Joey yelled. "Geez... and I thought nine was too early... Anyway, I called to see if you wanted to meet up earlier than planned coz I'm bored. That okay with you?"

"Yeah." He started to shut down the computer. "And what do you mean, 'Nine's early'? Just what time do you get up on weekends?"

"I just got up ten minutes ago."

Kaiba resisted the urge to slap his forehead. "Great. Mutt, Pig, Neanderthal, and now Snorlax. Anything else to add?"

"I'm NOT one of those Pokieman things!"

"Whatever. I'll see you later."

"'Kay."

Kaiba hung up the phone. 'Just _why _and _how_ did he become my 'friend'...? Well... I can't replace him,though.' Smiling, he got up and headed towards the elevator.

"I... love... Bob," Joey giggled as he wrote it on a slide with a permanent marker.

Kaiba chuckled as his friend pranced about merrily. "There're no 'Bob's in our school, Joey," he pointed out.

Joey shrugged. "There is now!" He went over to a yellow ladder. "Now what shall I put here...?"

Both teens were at an elementary school playground that was right next to Domino High. Joey had brought a permanent marker with causing mischief in mind. As the blond put ridiculous things everywhere, Kaiba chose to sit on a swing and watch.

"Jimmy... fucked... George!" Joey said, laughing as he wrote the last word.

The Ice King cocked an eyebrow. "Don't tell me they're both of the same gender..."

Joey grinned. "Okay, I won't."

Kaiba got up and took the marker from the delinquent, a smirk on his face. "I have an idea..." He went over to the tunnel slide and began to write on it with his petite handwriting. "Mutt... fucked... Spikey..."

"KAIBA!" Joey yelled, snatching the marker back. Kaiba doubled over with laughter. "Not funny..." he pouted.

The brunette composed himself. "Fine. Put whatever you like about me. I don't care, we'll call it even."

Joey grinned evilly. "Okay..." He turned around and started doing something on the slide. Kaiba tried to peer over his shoulder, but he immediately covered it up before he could see it. "Ah-ah! No peeking!"

A minute later, Joey stood back, revealing what he had done. On the right to what Kaiba had put was a picture. He instantly recognized it to be his very own Blues Eyes White Dragon. Below it in Joey's scribble was 'I'm With Stupid'.

Kaiba nodded. "Clever... But mine was better." Joey beamed at the small comment.

Both teens felt the tiny pelts of water. They looked up, and confirmed it to be rain form the darkening grey skies and the quick moving clouds. "Well, hell..." said Joey, still looking upwards, "What now?"

"C'mon," said Kaiba, beginning to walk away. "They normally keep a door unlocked in our school. We can stay there for a while."

Joey floowed him to Domino High as it started to rain harder. The first one they tried was on the side of the school, and they found it to be unlocked. They both proceeded inside.

"I wonder if that stuff'll wash off..." said Joey as they walked down the empty hallway.

"I doubt it."

They went into an open classroom, which held many empty desks. The wall in front of them was primarily windows, which showed them the thuderstorm they were stuck in. The teacher's desk held a few stray papers and a jar of pencils, but was relatively empty. This was the class that both of them shared at the end of each day.

Joey sat on a desk right next to the window, head turning to look out it. "Looks like we'll be here a while."

Kaiba sat at the desk in front of Joey's, turned around to face him. "As soon as it lets up a little, we can leave. If it doesn't, I can easily call a limo to pick us up."

Joey's eyes glazed over as he continued to stare out the window. "All right, whatever."

'He sounds so distant all of a sudden...' Kaiba thought.

"Is something wrong?"

The blond shook his head, looking to his friend. "Nah. Just thinking. Why?"

"It's nothing."

'What was that look in his eyes...?'

"Are you sure, Joey?" asked Kaiba. Joey nodded silently, going back to watching the rain.

'Wait a minute... Since when have I called him by his name? I never realized that I started...' He watched the teen put an elbow on his knee, propping his head on his palm. 'It feels like I want to tell him something... But what?' Joey's eyes closed, and he felt his heart throb in his throat. 'Wha'? What's going on...? What the hell is this...?' He continued to stare at Joey, and he softly smiled. 'He looks so peaceful... And he's cute, too.'

Kaiba's eyes widened as they went to look at the floor. 'Where the hell did THAT come from!'

"Hey Seto..." said Joey, snapping him from his thoughts.

'He's never called me that...' "What?"

Joey's chocolate colored eyes opened again to watch the rain. "Have you ever felt... something, deep inside, but you couldn't figure out what it was?"

'Where's this coming from?' "I dunno..."

"Hm. Just wondering."

Kaiba stared at him. '...What's going on here! What the hell? When did I stop loathing him, calling him Mutt, jeering at him where ever I went? When did I change! I never realized it...' His eyes traced over the teen in front of him. 'Kamisama, I...'

He inwardly sighed. 'No way... It couldn't be what I'm thinking...'

END CHAPTER

... MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ... Tee! I've mastered the evil laugh! NEway... So whatcha think? It so cool... -cuddles notebook- I absolutely LOVE this story! Do you? I hope so! Don'tcha just _looooove_ me? -laughs- Can't say when I'll update again. It might be in a few months... I'll aim for sooner though! I pinkie promise! XD

Welp, I must be going now. And now, a quote from Gravitation's Shuichi Shindou (Manga 8): " No matter how much you **think** you're in love and that you'll be together forever and you feel like you'd **die** for that person... the truth is that everyone ends up ALONE! There's no such thing as a happy ending! Give all your love. Every ounce! Every breath! You can love him so much that you think of nothing else... But it will all be for nothing! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! It all falls apart and you end up dying by yourself for no one at all! Do you still think you can go through life with a laugh in your voice and a smile on your lips!" ... T-T It so flippin true...! Well, in my mind, it is... NEway, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! I'll pay another million to those who do!


	6. Denial

I am saddened. TT My beloved Animerica... It's GONE! -cries- Why, **_why_** must they take my precious away...! -glares- They better eventually bring it back... Or I swear I'll buy Viz myself and make Animerica come back! For those who have no clue what I'm talking about- Animerica is a wonderful magazine that tells you everything: Jpop concerts, release dates, reviews of manga/anime/games, the wonderful Duke of Oita does a column about living in Japan... TT I already miss it... Gimme Animerica back you -bleeeeeeeep-! -glares- -sigh- Okay, I think I'm done ranting now.

The number of reviews I get for each chapter is slowly dwindling... WHY! TT That saddens me, too. But, as I promised, -pulls out a pile of money- here it is. There's some for everyone. (Everyone those who reviewed the last chappie. -glares-)

**Disclaimer:** These are fun to do every chapter, don't you agree? I mean, a smart person would've read the OTHER dislaimers, wouldn't they? Well, here is for the mentally challenged- I **DO NOT** own any person of the anime Yu-Gi-Oh!. I'll just put up with my card collection. (I'm such a dork, I know.)

**Teian no Kokoro-** Chapter Six: Denial

'I'm not sure what this feeling is when I see him. Happiness? Relief? I'm afraid to say it but... maybe even love? It kinda sucks that I can't talk to anyone about because they'll think I'm queer or somethin'. ... Am I gay? I'm really not sure. And I can't talk to _him_ about it, that's for sure. I don't know what he'll think of me if I tried to. But does he feel the same...? (Heh, now that I think about it, it's highly doubtful...) I have so many questions, but no way to get answers... I sorta wish I _could_ talk to him...

'I heard that in every person's life, they question their sexuality. Well, I guess this is my time.'

A few days had passed since they had been stuck inside their school during the storm. It was now Wednesday, and the gloomy weather wouldn't let up.

Seto Kaiba silently did chin ups on a metal bar in his in-home gym. (A/N: Rich bastard...) He counted in his mind each time his chin touched the bar, looking like he was far from being done. The muscles on his arms stayed like rocks every time he brought himself up.

'There's no way...' he thought after twelve. 'I'm just jumping to conclusions, that's all. He's only... a... friend... Why does that feel so weird to say?'

He let himself drop after the fifteenth time he pulled himself. 'And what was with him, anyway? At first he's being an idiot, then a serious, thinking, normal person? What's with that!'

He walked over to the blue mat over in the corner. On his way there, he glanced at himself in the mirror. He was shirtless, revealing a strong chest and a defined abdominal area. The only article of clothing he wore were loose fitting black boxers that went down to the middle of his thighs. His entire body was in a light coating of sweat, and his hair was out of its usual neatness.

'It blows my mind, how much I seem to have changed, yet I never realized. My thought patterns, my speech, the way I look at things...-' He sat down on the mat, folding his legs to his chest, and he began to do sit ups. '-all because I've been hanging around with him! And it's only been a week and a half... It's absolutely impossible, and yet it's true... But how, _why_? I couldn't... can I?'

After doing only three crunches, the door opened. A man in a black tuxedo now stood in the doorway. "I'm sorry to interupt you, sir, but Joey Wheeler is on the phone again. He demands that he talk to you. Should I tell him to stop calling?"

Kaiba did a few more sit ups as he thought about it. "No," he said during mid-crunch, "Just... tell him that I'm busy."

The man bowed his head. "Yes sir." He backed out of the doorway and shut the door behind him.

'He's called me five times in two days... Does he need to talk to me that badly? What about? Hm... has he noticed the change in me? Has he come to the same conclusion I ha- No, I can't be... gay...'

It was then that something ran through his mind. It was in the voice of Joey, while they had been in Domino High and watching the rain from the desks. "Have you ever felt... something, deep inside, but you couldn't figure out what it was?"

Kaiba shook it out of his head, quickening his pace. 'No... Not him, he wouldn't. It's wishful thinking- but not exactly...' He scowled. 'I am not gay...'

The Ice King lay on his king size bed, a lamp on the other side of the room casting a dim, dark yellow light in the room. He was now still shirtless, but wearing black jeans with a thick matching belt. He was on his side, and his eyes were clouded as he stared blankly at the bare wall.

'I haven't stopped thinking about it. It's almost been a week since he asked me that stupid, pointless question... So why can't I stop thinking about it? If it's not, could never be true, why not just move on?' His eyes closed. 'I don't understand... I'm not sure if it is what I think it is, so it couldn't be since I don't know...'

He rolled onto his back and gazed at the ceiling. 'Heh... Why am I worried? I can't be in love with Joey... I'm Seto Kaiba, president of Kaiba Corp., and known to be the most icy, unemotional bastard in Domino City... So I have no room to be in _love_, that disgusting emotion... What I feel, I don't know what it is, so I'm just jumping to conclusions, that's all...'

Sleep was threatening his vision. His eyelids were burning and getting heavy, demanding to be closed. He obliged and closed them, allowing himself to begin to drift into unconsiousness. His breathing immediately began to come softer as he drifted further away. Right before he was fully asleep, an old saying went through his mind.

'The first step is always denial.'

Kaiba sighed, leaning his leather chair back as he looked over the file he had just typed up. Behind him, thw window showed a clear, blue skied day, and the traffic below was light.

'This isn't good enough...' he thought, going over for a third time. 'It seems so blunt, yet I know I could do better... If only I had done this a few weeks ago...'

'You're distracted...' the back of his mind whispered.

His eyes wondered to the silent phone sitting on the corner of the desk. 'I haven't talked to him in a week. Maybe if I... then I could concentrate?' He shook his head. 'No, that wouldn't help...'

"Kaiba-sama?" said the secretary from the first floor on the desk intercom, "Joey Wheeler is here and asks to see you. Should I send him up?"

The CEO sighed. "... No."

"Okay, sir. I'll send him away."

Kaiba rubbed his eyes with the fingers on his left hand. 'This is stupid...' After a moment, he rose and went behind his chair to look out the tall window.

A few seconds later, he watched Joey come out of his building, noting that his hands were shoved in his pockets and his head was down. When he got far enough away from the building, he stopped. Turning around, he looked up directly at Kaiba. After staring at each other for a moment, the blonde turned and walked away.

Kaiba put his palm on the window, his eyes sad as Joey walked away. 'So... stupid...'

A sinister grin went on Marik's face. He opened his pale blue eyes as he swept a stray sand-colored hair from his face.

'So _that _is his weakness, now...' he thought gleefully, 'I see... Well, this is unexpected, coming from Kaiba-san... Well, I'll just adjust my plans a bit...' His evil grin grew wider. 'Be careful with who you love, Seto Kaiba... I _will_ get my Egyptian God card back by any means possible...'

END CHAPTER SIX

... Do you know how _weird_ it is to be typing this? I wrote this so long ago, and I'm currently writing a story that's _ten times better_... (It's a YGO/ Gravitation crossover. Couldn't resist.) Oh well...

Anyway... I know, it's just a wee bit short. Next chapter'll be longer, I swear! (I already know this coz it's sitting right in front of me!) So, just review, tell me what you think, and we'll all be happy! And everyone likes to be happy! (I'll be handing out Bakura plushies next time to reviewers...If I don't horde them all for myself...XD) And, all that's left is a quote. This one comes from the wonderful Demon Lord Raenef the Fifth of Demon Diary: "I feel like I got smacked in the medula oblongata with a cast iron skillet." LOL He's so cute... "TOMATO!" -dies laughing-


	7. Kiss

Konnichiwa, peoples! Hikari here. (...duh.) Everyone's in for a real treat today! T-T The day has finally come... You'll see! So just read and review like always, k?

JT: K! WHERE! -sneer- Is he with Hiro...?

H: -slams head on desk- Don't mind her... Gravitation has gone to her head... -looks thoughtful- Though, it's gone to mine, too... -daydreams of Eiri-

To my wonderful reviewers: ... NO, NEVER! They're all MINE! MINE, I SAY! -runs away with Bakura plushies.- But, thank you all. I love you, I swear! -gives hugs and not plushies-

**Disclaimer:** ... -glare- Screw you...T-T Don't rub it in my face...

**Warning:** Shounen-ai action in this one! Woohoo! XD

**Teian no Kokoro-** Chapter Seven: Kiss

Seto Kaiba felt eyes eyes staring at the back of his head. He _longed_ to just stand up and yell, "I demand you to stop staring at me! It's ANNOYING!" right in Joey's face. He knew it wa Joey- he was the only one to be fearless enought to even stare. Others would just glance at him. He guessed it was from fear. But no, Joey had no problem with staring at the back of his head, and it wa ticking him off to no end.

The last bell of the day sounded throughout the school, making Kaiba give a sigh of relief. 'Good. Hopefully his eyes have gone to watching himself pick up his books...' There was a loud crash behind him, the sound of books hittind the floor, pages scattering. 'Or not...'

He got up and looked behind himself. Kneeled over was a grumbling Joey, picking up what he had accidentallydropped. Smirking, Kaiba went over and picked up the last book left on the ground and put it in the blonde's bag. He looked up to see Kaiba. "Arigatou," he said quietly as he stood up.

"I apologize for not talking to you," said Kaiba. "I've... been busy with meetings and such."

"Yeah, sure," Joey said, closing the bag and putting it over his shoulder.

"I'm serious, Joey."

Joey looked directly into cerulean eyes. "Okay... It's all right, I understand."

Both of them walked out of the classroom, Kaiba grabbing his own bag on the way out. "Wanna just... go somewhere?" Kaiba asked, trying to keep up with Joey as they made their way through the crowded hallways.

"Like?"

The went through the school's front doors, exiting the building for the weekend. "I don't care. Just somewhere."

Joey looked to Kaiba. "Don't you have to go to work?"

Kaiba smiled. "I _own_ my work. I work when I want to."

Joey grinned. "All right. How 'bout the pier?"

"The carnival's closed, baka," Kaiba pointed out.

"Oh..." Joey said disheartedly. "Okay... We can go, just for da hell of it!"

Kaiba shrugged. "Why not...?"

"How many times have we walked around this place?" asked Joey.

"Why should I be counting?"

"I dunno... Out of boredom?"

"If I was bored, then I'd either be at Kaiba Corp. or at home."

"... Good point."

Kaiba and Joey had been walking around Domino Pier for an hour and a half, either walking silently beside each other or talking about assorted things. For example, their underwear sizes. (They're _bored_. Sue 'em. XD) They had passed every dock several times, and even watched three men take down the last tent from the carnival.

"So, uh... Seriously, how come you didn't take any of my calls?" Joey asked.

"I told you, I've been busy," Kaiba answered slowly. "How could I take your call if I was in the middle of an important meeting?"

"I dunno..." Joey said quietly. "I just thought... that I like, scared you for some reason when I asked you that question on Sunday."

Kaiba managed to look puzzled. "Question? What question?"

A slight blush crept onto Joey's cheeks as he stared down at his walking feet. "I asked you if you've ever had an unknown feeling before. Geez, you've already forgotten...?"

"I guess I did." 'Of course I haven't forgotten!' Kaiba thought, 'That's the question that's thrown me off track all week!'

"You said 'yeah' to that question, right?" said Joey.

"Yeah, I remember that..."

Joey continued to stare at the ground in front of them. "Do you... ever figure out what it is you're feeling?"

Kaiba stayed quiet as his mind tried to figure out the answer. 'Do I...?'

"I think you're asking the wrong person about this stuff..." he eventually said. "Emotions isn't my thing."

Both of them decided to sit on the edge of a dock, letting their shoes touch the surface of the water. They stayed silent, either watching the setting golden sun or the rippling water of the ocean. Every now and then, Kaiba caught himself glancing at the teen to his left.

He noticed how the sun reflected of the blonde's chocolate eyes, making them a deep honey color. 'Damn...' he thought, staring at the boy from the corner of his eye. His sight went down to Joey's lips. 'Why am I getting this urge to. Kiss. _Him_?' he thought dully. He caught himself licking his own lips, when he panicd and looked away.

"I know it's kinda girlie, but it still is pretty," Joey commented, still staring at the sun that wasn't far from the horizon.

"Yeah, I guess so," Kaiba replied, eyes snapping to the sun.

"I think it's stupid. We can't think that some things are beautiful, or else we'll be labeled gay or somethin', ya know?" Joey said, looking to Kaiba.

'Like you?' the brunette's mind outburst. He cringed, but nodded at Joey's question, refusing to look at him.

Joey looked away and sighed. He stayed silent for several minutes. Kaiba could only hear his own screaming head and racing heart. Time seemed to go slower as they sat there, watching the sky grow darker.

The teen swallowed before speaking. "Seto..." he started, his voice obviously straned and not sure of what to say, "I... I've been thinking... and... I think that... Well, what I'm trying to say is that I think I'm-!"

Kaiba cut him off. He brought up his right hand and made it go to Joey's cheek, making their eyes meet. Only a second later, the CEO made their lips collide. Joey let let out a whimper of protest, but instantly relaxed. One of them accidentally moved, making Joey's lower lip almost go into Kaiba's mouth. Kaiba let it in and began to suck and lick on it, receiving a quieter whimper from Joey. Kaiba felt the blonde staring to do the same to his upper lip, and he inwardly smirked.

'He's kissing back...'

His hand went lower, resting on the back of Joey's neck. Kaiba wanted to open his eyes to see Joey's face as he brought their heads closer, but found that he could not. He felt Joey start to nibble on his lip, and he suppressed a light moan.

Kaiba slowly let go of Joey's lip, sliding out his own. He planted a butterfly kiss, than another, before opening his eyes. Joey's were already open. They held the expression of surprise and questioning, but once looking deeper, he noticed love. He let go of the blonde's neck, using it to wipe off his upper lip. Joey was still staring at him when he turned to look at the horizon. After a moment, he watched from the corner of his eye Joey quickly turn his head away from sight.

"Embarassed that you kissed back?" Kaiba asked, wearing a smug smile.

"No," Joey answered quietly.

Kaiba stayed quiet for a moment, seeing what he'd do. He could barely see it since his head was turned away, but he could tell that Joey's face was a deep crimson.

"It was just a kiss..."

He smirked as he got nothing but silence. Getting up, he cast one last look at the sunset before looking down at Joey. The inu was loking at him with questoning eyes. "I had better go. It's getting late, and I need to check on Mokuba." He laid his right hand on Joey's head. "I'll see ya."

Kaiba walked away, a soft smile on his lips. He could feel that Joey was staring after him as he went, and he swore that "But..." had escaped from his mouth in means to stop him, but his words had died away. He brought his hand up and lightly ran his fingertips over his lips, making him smile more.

'I love him...'

Marik sat in his usual throne-like chair, grinning evilly. In his right hand was the Millennium Rod, and on his neck is where the Millennium Necklace rested.

'Well, _this_ is an unexpected turn of events... So they're together now. How touching.'

"Odion, come"

A man wearing a dark grey cloak approached, the hood hiding the back of his head. Ancient Egyptin scriptures covered the left side of his face. "Yes, Master Marik?"

"Bring together the best Rare Hunters. I have a job for them."

'School has been really boring the last few days. And it didn't help that Seto's stopped talking to me. I wondered why, but we're okay now. He said that he had a lot of meetings to go to and work piled up, so I guess I understand. He IS the "big boss", and he took quite a while off to hang out with me. I'm glad we're talking again.

'After school, it was my idea to go to the pier. I had forgotten that the carnival was shut down, but we still went. It was just a little boring, just walking and chatting about random stuff. (He likes to wear size 12-14 boxers that are black. Wow, that's sexy. XD) After a while, we sat down and watched the sunset, not really talking anymore. I was about to, but...

'He kissed me... And Kamisama, I didn't want it to end.'

END CHAPTER SEVEN

Author's Notes: Ta da! You likey? -is hopeful- ... Who here has Eminem's new CD, Encore? -sees hands raise- Do you realize that #17- Crazy in Love should be Mariku's theme song to Bakura? It so fits them. Anyway, I'm gunna go. So therefore, here is a quote from a nonanime character (but is still funny), Bartimaeus from the Bartimaeus Trilogy (Book2): "Your skin's been steaming gently and the end of each hair's been glowing at the tip. A remarkable sight. Your aura's gone haywire, too. Well, it's a delicate process, ridding yourself of a charge like that. I wanted to wake you straightaway, but I knew I had to wait several hours to ensure that you were safely recovered." (Nathanel:)"What! How long has it been?" (Barty:) "Five minutes. I got bored."


	8. Taken

I have finally gotten around to noticing that takes out the spacer/interval thingies I put in. (You know what I'm talking about, right? The things that separate Kaiba's POV from Joey's and Marik's?) So sorry it's taken me all this time to realize. I've figured out a way to have them in there, so there'll be no more confusion anymore, k? - And I'm not getting as many reviews as I did when I first put this up. Why IS that! -shrug- I guess I'll make due with what I get.

**Disclaimer:** ... -pout- Don't rub it in. Read the other ones, you should get the hint.

**Teian no Kokoro-** Chapter Eight: Taken

'I got a note from Seto today. Serenity gave it to me when I got home from Yugi's, saying that she found it on the door. It says: To Mutt- Meet me in the lobby of Kaiba Corp. tomorrow at 8 p.m. We need to talk.'

'Is this what I think it is? I mean... is he gonna say that he feels the same way I do? He might explain why he kissed me yesterday... But why is it to 'Mutt'? He hasn't called me that in a while. I'm kinda looking forward to it, yet I'm not. If it's not about what I hope it is, what else is there to say that he has to tell me at night and at his work? When I read that note, my heart did a backflip. Could Seto love me? Did he kiss me because he has feelings for me? Kamisama... I truely hope so.'

ixi

Seto Kaiba stared blankly at the black computer screen. Random thoughts went in and out through his mind.

He had tried working today, he really did. He would start, but found minutes later that he couldn't concentrate completely. His mind would wonder off for several moments, then he'd bring himself back to earth to start working again. It never lasted long. After several hours of this cycle, it was around two in the afternoon when he finally gave up and shut off the computer. He now realized that six hours is a long time to wait.

'It's tonight...' he thought, leaning back and propping his feet onto the desk, 'My chance to tell him... Why couldn't I have waited a little longer...?' A feeling that he hadh had all day resurfaced once more. He looked down at his slightly shaky hands. 'I'm nervous, that's all... Then again, I'm _telling_ him how I feel...'

Kaiba folded his arms tightly, hugging himself. 'How should I tell him? Oh, I know. 'Hey Joey. Yeah, um... the real reason why I didn't talk to you for a few days was because I was sorting out my feelings, and I realized that I'm in love with you, which is why I kissed you. Could you please feel the same?' Hm, that's the way to get turned down.'

He swallowed a large amount of saliva that had quickly accumulated in his mouth. 'Oh Kamisama... Tell me that I'm not doing this for nothing...'

ixi

Marik was standing in front of a window. Dark blue drapes were pulled to the sides, revealing a starry night that was being reflected off a large body of water. No clouds were out to cover the full moon, and the ocean looked crystal clear.

Marik was wearing his usual blue sleeveless hoodie that was two sizes too small. A simple pair of loose jeans adorned his legs, and a few other gold ornaments were on the rest of his body. His left eye was replaced with a golden orb that had the image of Horus's eye on it. Around his neck sat a golden necklace holding the identical image. In his right hand was a rod, an orb with gold wings on the end of it.

His pale eyes glanced at a clock on the wall. 'Seven- fifty. Kaiba told him eight.' A wide evil smirk went on his face. 'Any minute now...'

He clenched the Millennium Rod tighter. 'Is Kaiba in place?'

'Yes, Master Marik. He just appeared,' came the answer.

Marik continued smirking. 'Good. Only do it when he is looking. Don't mess this up.'

ixi

Kaiba sat in one of the waiting chairs in the lobby. Only the ceiling lights above the secretary's desk were on, dimly lighting the area. He stared down at his hands which were clamped together in his lap.

'I know it's around eight by now,' he thought, 'I came down at seven forty five...' He sighed, relaxing his tense muscles a little. 'I need to relax. This'll go well. He tried to tell me this at the dock, I know that what it was...' Memories of his kiss with Joey floated to his mind, and he slightly smiled. 'I'm human, so I _am_ capable of falling in love.'

He glanced out the front windows. The streets were lit by still open stores and street lamps, making visibility clear. A figure was walking toward the building, his head down and partially hidden by shadows. Kaiba could easily tell who it was just by the height and the way he walked. Joey had his hands in the pockets of his favorite green jacket as he approached. Kaiba stood up and went to the middle of the room so Joey could see that he was there. There was a soft smile on his lips, and his icy eyes immediately melted.

Kaiba was surprised to find how calm he felt, watching Joey slowly come closer. 'He came... This is it...'

A second figure emerged from the shadows on the other side of the street. He wore a dark cloak, and the hood was up to hide his face. Kaiba glared as he watched this figure come up to Joey. The walking teen never noticed him.

'He had better not...'

Another cloaked figure came out, this one directly behind Joey. Kaiba's eyes widened in horror as both figures rushed up to the teen and captured him. Joey tried to get free, but they were stronger. One covered the teen's mouth as the other held his hands behind his back and dragged him into the nearest alleyway.

"JOEY!" Kaiba ran as fast as he could out the doors and into the night. He went down the street and stopped at the opening of the alley that he was sure they had taken Joey into. He looked as hard as he could into the shadows, and noticed a small lump on the ground. "Joey?" he asked frantically, jogging up to it.

He knelt down beside it and looked it over. Picking it up, he realized it was Joey's jacket. "His favorite jacket..." he whispered, pulling it against himself and closing his eyes. "Who the hell would take him...?"

A dark laugh sounded in his mind, making him whip around to look. "Who's there?" he yelled.

The laugh was louder this time. "Who do you think?"

Kaiba scowled. "Marik."

"Yes, hello..." said Marik, "If I'm not mistaken, two hooded men took you beloved Joey away right in front of your eyes."

Kaiba immediately stood, still holding the jacket. "Where did you take him, Marik? I swear I'll hunt you down and _force_ you to tell me if you don't this instant."

Marik laughed darkly. "I'm surprised, Kaiba. I thought you'd be more worried that I know your secret..."

"I don't care!"

"Oh? Maybe you should. I think I'll just let you mull everything over for now. I'll see you when I'm done with your boyfriend."

Kaiba fell to his knees, traces of tears finally coming to his eyes. "Joey..." He punched the ground. "How does that bastard know? He'll use it against us, I'm sure." He took a deep breath and walked out of the alley.

'I'll come for you... I promise.'

ixi

Marik smirked as three people walked into the room. Two cloaked figures were carrying a blonde haired teen by the arms. The teen was wearing a tight fitting white tee shirt and blue jeans. His brown eyes hinted that he was dazed. Both men dropped his arms to let him slump to the ground.

"Welcome, Joey," Marik greeted, "I pray my Rare Hunters treated you well?" The response he got was Joey looking up to glare at him with blank eyes. He turned to the Hunter on the right. "What did you do to him?" he snapped.

"He struggled, Master Marik," the Hunter answered, "We were forced to hit him."

Marik immediately stood. "Making him have a concussion was NOT part of the plan! Get out of my sight!" He watched both Rare Hunters hurridly bowed and scurry out of the room, shutting the door behind them. Sighing, Marik walked over to Joey and knelt down in front of him. "Are you alright?" he asked softly, putting a hand under Joey's chin to make him look up.

Joey swatted the hand away, and continued glareing. A little color came back to his eyes. "Well enough to know that I hate you," he said strongly.

Marik backed down a little. "I see... You're able to think clearly. Good..."

"Why did you want me here?" Joey asked.

A smile went on Marik's face. "I'm glad you asked. I wanted to make a deal with you, pertaining to your lover."

Joey scowled. "I have no lover."

Marik's smile widened. "Don't lie, Joey. I know of your feelings toward Seto Kaiba."

"What do you mean?" Joey snapped.

"You know what I mean. Remember what happened at the pier Friday?" He watched Joey's eyes go to the ground as he turned pink. "I knew that would jog your memory. If i recall correctly, you kissed back. Is it because you love him?"

"Fuck you, Marik!" Joey yelled. "Whatever the fuck you offer, I ain't takin' it! Fuck you!"

Marik stood, towering over the teen. The two Rare Hunters that had brought Joey in were there once again. "Is there anything wrong, Master Marik?"

"Take him," said Marik, glaring right back at Joey. As Joey was picked up and being taken out, Marik watched. "You'll take what I offer, Joey... I'm sure you will..."

ixi

Kaiba wondered around the streets in the dark. Rain was hitting the ground hard, but he didn't care. The thick clouds made the sky even darker. His hands were in his pockets, his sight was on the ground.

'No one's come asking around for him. I'm surprised.' He kicked a stray pop can on the sidewalk that was in his way. 'He's been gone twenty-four hours now. That bastard had better not have laid a hand on him... He better be okay...'

His attention went left, and he saw on the other side of the street the same shadowed alley the first Rare Hunter had come out of to kidnap Joey. His legs stopped going forward as he stared.

'_Where are you_...?'

His sad eyes closed as he willed his legs to take him away from that spot. He went quicker than he had been going, almost at a light jog. When he realized, he slowed himself.

'I'm worried... Heh, and it's about someone else other than Mokuba...' A smile went on his face, one that was sad and bitter. 'Heh heh. This is so stupid. Someone has taken Joey. Shouldn't I be putting my heart and soul into a search? But where do I start? I shouldn't be wondering in the _rain_... Mokuba'll have my head.'

And seemingly for no reason, Kaiba's knees buckled beneath him, hitting the drenched sidewalk and making him wetter than he already was. His hands came up and covered his face.

'This is too much. It _hurts_ too much, it actually _hurts_. And it's for _him_...' An image of a grinning Joey came to his mind's eyes, making the pain inside him worsen. 'I can't work, I can't sleep, I can't stop thinking about it... Marik. Marik, that... that...'

He curled into a ball on his knees as the tears steadily flowed. 'It's too much...'

END CHAPTER EIGHT

A/N: ... -bursts into tears- I have a tendency to make main chararacters OOC! How can my readers _ever _forgive me...! Really, don't you agree- Kaiba is WAY too OOC? _I_ think so. Well, please accept my most sincere apologies. - And did you know that that last scene right there was extremely impromptu and not written? -looks around and whispers- Is it obvious?

Anyway! To end this, here is actually TWO quotes of the chapter, both coming from "Gravitation"'s Noriko Ukai: (Book 2) "THAT"S AWFUL! What's wrong with your voice! It sounds like you're gargling a cat's nut sack!" (Book 5) "What the hell was that! You sounded like an elephant with his nuts stuck in a circular fan!" -laughs- Gotta love Noriko's metaphors... And the quotes are quite fitting, what with the OOCness. ...-cries- PLEASE review! I seem to have a shortage of them. -gives a pretty smile.-


	9. Truth

Konnichiwa, peoples! Who here has heard about the new Gravitation DVD series? -watches hands raise- SQUEE! I can't wait. And it's cool that it comes out not long after the last manga came out, so it's all cool... And I get to see more EIRI YUKI! -faints in excitement- Anyway, here I am with another chapter, and sorry if the wait was long, but I think it'll be worth it. So here it is- the next chapter! Yaaaaay. XD

Only one review last chapter... That's saddening. T-T People have lost interest? Maybe I should just stop bothering with updating altogether... But I won't. (Is it because I don't update more? I apologize, forgive me!) I will go on, no matter what, until the epilogue is up! Why? -smile- I like defying my parents. -giggles-

... Screw the disclaimer. I've done it enough for you to get the point.

... There're no warnings for this chapter. The next one won't come up until next chapter.

... I think I'll get on with the story now.

**Teian no Kokoro-** Chapter Nine: Truth

'After that kiss, I just stared as he walked away. Why was he leaving so soon? Why was he leaving me? Don't get me wrong, he's a damn good kisser. Like I said before, I didn't want it to stop. Gosh, I can't stop thinking about it! Was he embarrased that he kissed me- a _guy_? He had asked me if _I _was embarrased- Hell yeah! I could feel that my face was beet red. Of course I was blushing- I had just kissed a guy!

'But... Even though Seto _is_ a guy, ... I think I'm in love with him. I almost told him that while we were just sitting there, but he... sorta cut me off, ya know...? But oh well, I don't mind that he did. I guess I'll just tell him eventually.'

ixi

Seto Kaiba was laying on his couch, blankly staring at the ceiling. The TV wasn't on, no stereos were on, the computers were all off, Mokuba wasn't home... It was in every way quiet. The teen's hands were behind his head to serve as a pillow.

'I have to find him, but where do I start? There won't be any records of Marik, because he knows I'd search by computer. He'd wipe away any traces of himself. On foot is pointless, because he'd be hiding himself well, and there'd be no signs of him on the street...' He flipped over onto his left side. 'But I need to go find him. I swore I would two days ago...'

"So why haven't you started?"

Kaiba sat up, glaring around at the room. "Marik..." he growled. "Where is he!"

Marik laughed. "Why should I tell you? I thought you were so smart and that you'd find him without my help..." He laughed agian at his silence. "Has it just _tortured_ you, not knowing where he his, if he's _alive_ or not..."

"He better be..."

"Oh, he is... Heh heh. Fine, I'll give you a hint- it's where you and he shared you first kiss... How sickening. Well, I'll see you around, Kaiba..."

The connection was cut, leaving Kaiba in silence again. After just sitting still for a minute, he quickly got up and went for the door.

iii

He paced around in his office. HIs normal black shirt and jeans were on, but the white trenchcoat was missing. It was on the chair beside Joey's green jacket that had been abandoned in the alley where Joey had been taken.

'What should I do?' he asked himself as he paced around. 'Just charge into Domino Pier and onto his boat? He's expecting me, since he told me where Joey is... No harm had better come to him.' He closed his eyes and stopped walking, his fists clenched. 'It's my fault he's gone...'

He was abruptly snapped out of his thoughts by the door being thrown open. Only a second later, he found himself being held up by the collar of his shirt.

"What'd you do with Joey!" Tristan spat.

"Tristan!" Yugi ran into the room and tugged hard on Tristan's trench coat. "Come on... Don't jump to conclusions...!"

Kaiba smirked. "Yes, listen yo your friend, _Tristan_..."

Tristan strted raising Kaiba off the ground. It was a little challenging, since both teens were about the same size. "Fuck you, Kaiba! He's been gone for two days, and his jacket is in _your_ chair! Now what did you do with him!"

Kaiba was beginning to feel uneasy being halfway off the ground. "Put me down and I'll tell." tristan glared but obliged. He looked down to straighten his shirt, then looked right at Tristan. "He was kidnapped."

Tristan looked angrier. Yugi gaped with wide eyes. "W-What?" Kaiba merely nodded.

"Who took 'im...?" Tristan asked grimly.

"Take a guess," said Kaiba.

"How the hell should I know!" Tristan outburst. "I just know that he said that he couldn't come to_ my _house the night he disappeared because he had to be with _you_! He never even came home, and now I find his coat's _here_! _I_ think _you_ kidnapped him!"

"Kaiba," Yugi said calmly, "tell us where Joey is if you know. We'll go and-"

"No," said Kaiba, cutting him off. A deep sadness went upon his features, and he turned his head so they couldn't see. "It's my fault the Rare Hunters took him. I'll go get him."

"Rare Hunters!" yelled Yugi.

"_Your_ fault!" Tristan yelled at the same time.

Kaiba nodded, his eyes going to the ground. He leaned back and supported himself against the desk. "I watched him. He was on his way here, and I was watching him come closer..." His voice began to get weaker, and he took a deep breath to calm himself. "It happened so quick, and I was only able to find his jacket..."

Yugi slowly inched his way to Kaiba's side. "Kaiba...?" he questioned.

Tristan finally showed signs of calming down. "So... What're we gonna do?"

"I'm going," said Kaiba. It was then that he realized how shaky he had become, and his palms were sweaty.

"Alone? I don't think so, Kaiba," said Yugi. "This is Marik we're talking about. We should go together."

"Yeah, _Kaiba_," Tristan sneered.

Kaiba glared at Tristan. "Don't push me. Instead of fighting, I should be going to help Joey. I was just here so that I could think."

"Kaiba?" Yugi asked, "Um, you seem like you're hiding something. Something about Joey..."

Tristan started stroking his chin with his right hand. "Yeah, he's right... How come you wanna go alone? And since when have you started calling him by his name? What's there to hide? I mean, you looked pretty sad when you were telling us what happened..."

Kaiba tensed up. 'Oh no... Too perceptive...'

"I have no time for this," he said, starting to walk past Tristan.

Before he passed, Tristan pushed him back. "Marik won't hurt Joey if he's bait. Now, what're you hiding? Hell, Joey's been acting strange lately, too, just like you are now. Why is _he_ the bait, and not Mokuba?"

Kaiba's eyes went to the ground once more. He glimpsed at Yugi, who was looking expectantly at him. He stayed silent.

Yugi took a small step torward Tristan. "Lay off Tristan. He isn't gonna tell us. He's pretty set on going alone, so let's just let him-"

"No!" Tristan yelled, "I'm not trusting him to save my best friend alone! If he screws up, Marik'll have Joey dead!"

Kaiba finally looked up and directly at Tristan.He looked the angriest he had been the whole time they were there. "You think I'd just standby and let that bastard hurt the one I love?"

Both Tristan's and Yugi's eyes widened in surprise at this piece of news. They took a step back and stared. "You... love _Joey_...?" Tristan asked uncertainly.

Kaiba's eyesa closed as he took a quick deep breath. "Yes. That's why Marik took him and not my brother." He opened his eyes, and they coldly fixed onthe taller teen. "You got your answer. There's the secret, it's out. Now let me go."

He walked past them, his eyes still looked on Tristan. They glared at each other until Kaiba was past him. He could feel eyes watching him as he headed for the doorway. Stopping right before he turned the corner, he looked at them with one eye. "I'll let you come, since you're his friends. But stay out of my way.

ixi

"So is that his boat?" Tristan asked, his head peeking out over a box to see.

"Yeah, I think so," said Yugi.

"He said he'd be exactly in this spot, so it has to be," said Kaiba.

All three teens were slouched down behind a pile of boxes that were in view of Marik's boat. "He actually said _this_ spot?" Tristan asked. Kaiba nodded. "Hm. Okay..." They were silent, until Tristan spoke again. "Sooo... Does Joey know how you feel?"

"Normally, kissing gets that point across," Kaiba said smartly, wearing a smirk.

Tristan's eyes widened in horror. "You... _kissed_! That's SICK!" he yelled. The last bit was muffled, however, by Yugi covering his mouth tightly.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Oh, spare me. I've seen the way you gawk at that Devlin guy..."

Tristan turned pink and looked away. "Shut up," he said quietly.

Yugi looked quite horrified. "Am I the only straight one anymore...?"

Tristan recovered and folded his arms. "Apparently... But you can fix that! Maybe you should hook up with Mokuba. You're about the same height, and maybe homosexuality runs in the genes..." He finished with a large smirk.

"That is NOT something to joke about!" Kaiba yelled, getting to his feet to tower over Tristan.

"TRISTAN!" Yugi yelled, looking angry as well.

Tristan snickered as he pulled Kaiba back down. "Kidding, kidding, geez..."

Kaiba huffed for a moment before composing himself. "Right. Enough chatting about our taste in lovers. We need to get in that yacht and get Joey out alive."

"Any plans genius?" Tristan asked.

Kaiba peered over the box that he was leaning on to look over at Marik's off-yellow yacht. "Two guards, and there's probably one on the other side..." A smirk went to his face. "Let's see what kinds of noise annoy them..."

END CHAPTER NINE

A/N: Kaiba's So OOC. I'm so sorry...! T-T And there hasn't been any humor for a while so I couldn't resist. I tend to write funny things if it gets too angsty. -shrug- After all, I DID start out writing humor fanfics... Oh, and to WARN YOU: From here on out, it's going to get a little... _weird_... It's seems like it to _me_ anyway, now that I reread the next chapter... But we'll see.

And now, for a quote. (Does anyone even _read _these! Oh well.) This one comes from another non-anime, actually coming from Queen of the Damned, by Anne Rice. "You're five hundred years old and you can't use a telephone? Read the directions. What are you, an immortal idiot?" That was Daniel Molloy, talking to the vampire, Armand. ...There're directions on a phone? _Where? _-laughs- Sorry, that just cracks me up.

ANYWAY! PLEASE review. Tell your friends about this story, and make sure they tell their friends. Well... if you think it's good, anyway. But make sure they review too! I like reviews. What author doesn't? ... I think I'm done ranting now. XD


	10. Proposal

No one really reads my pointless author's notes, do they? Well, okay, I hear you. Just read the chapter, have fun.

My reviews should be matching my reviews... There's such a LARGE difference... Well, if you reviewed last chapter, I love you. -hands out Kaiba plushie- If you didn't, -glare- You suck.

If you didn't read last chapter's author's note- WARNING: It gets a little, how should I say, _weird_, from this point on. You'll see what I mean. I apologize ahead of time for it: -gets on hands and knees- I'm so sorry!

**WARNING:** (A real one) The beginning of this chapter has some, shall we say, _crude_ content. Some might be offended, others might find it funny like they're supposed to. -smile- Just warning you so no one complains that I didn't.

**Teian no Kokoro-** Chapter Ten: Proposal

"Louder, Yugi," Kaiba whispered, "I don't think they can hear you. And go a little more higher."

A few feet away, Yugi nodded. "Okay..." He cleared his throat. "Ohh! Oh yeah, _deeper_!" he screamed, sounding exactly like a girl.

Yugi was still behind the boxes, but this time he was alone. Around the corner of the building they were beside was Kaiba and Tristan. Tristan was having a hard time keeping his laughter silent. Kaiba was biting his lip and watching the guards on the yacht, but he also felt that he could laugh about it if he wanted.

"Oh my GOD!" Yugi screamed.

Tears were coming from Tristan's eyes. "Kaiba..." he managed to say, "I didn't know you could come up with something like this..."

Kaiba smirked as Yugi gave a loud moan. "He sounds like he's really enjoying himself over there... Do you think he's jackin' off?" This made Tristan cover his mouth tighter so his laughing could stay silent.

"Shut up over there!" yelled a guard on the boat.

Kaiba's smirk widened. "Heh, I think they're getting annoyed..." He kicked Tristan, who was on the ground holding his side. "Get up, it's working."

"Oh baby, don't STOP!" Yugi yelled, following it with heavy panting.

Tristan got up, wiping his mouth. "It just sounds too real..." Kaiba nodded in agreement.

Another guard, this one a Rare Hunter, picked up a rock and threw it in the direction of the boxes. It ricocheted off a box a few feet away from Yugi. "Take it somewhere else!"

"Come on..." Kaiba mumbled, watching the guards on the deck very closely, "Get off the boat and boot the lovers away yourself... More panting, Yugi!"

Yugi moaned. "Ohhh... Go lower... Oh yeah... Oh.. Oh. Oh!" The boy started panting, putting a little voice into each one.

"They look really ticked off..." Tristan whispered as they watched the third guard- another Rare Hunter- come from the other side of the yacht.

"Hm. Here they come."

A man in a tuxedo walked onto the pier, followed by two who were dressed in long grey cloaks and had their hoods up to shadow their faces. "That's it!" yelled the one in the lead, "They've been goin' at it long enough!"

"Ready?" Kaiba questioned. Tristan nodded.

Three shadows overlapped the boxes as they came closer. As they got to just inches away from Yugi's hiding spot, he popped up into view.

"What the...?

Yugi grinned and waved at them enthusiastically. "Hey there, guys! How's your day going?"

Kaiba and Tristan turned from the corner silently, and tapped each guard's shoulder. They turned around to see both teens standing behind them with large smirks on their faces. In an instant, Kaiba had kicked one Rare Hunter into some boxes that were just inches away from where Yugi was standing, and Tristan managed to smash the other two heads together and knock them out.

Tristan dusted his hands off and looked at Yugi, who had a vibrant red on his cheeks. "Nice acting, Yugi, sounded real. Were you actually jacking off?"

"No way!" he answered, "I just can't believe I really did that!"

Kaiba turned toward the yacht, his emotionless facade back in place once more. "Alright, it worked. We can get in. Let's go save Joey."

ixi ( Earlier...)

Marik smirked. In front of him was Joey, chained to a chair. His eyes were red from lack of sleep, and his lips were dry. Marik knelt down so he could look at Joey's face. "Kaiba's here to save you. He's just outside, contemplating a plan to save you," he said softly. "Do you think he'll accept my proposal?" He got only silence. "Are you thirsty?" Again, silence. He got up and picked up a cup full of water. Joey looked up with bloodshot eyes and glared. "I swear to you, I've done nothing to it. You can see for yourself if you like."

Joey watched Marik come over and hold the cup under his face. It was dim inside the room, so he could barely see that it was water inside the cup. The cup was moved a little, and the light reflected off each tiny wave. Marik put the water closer to his dehydrated lips, tempting him. After a moment, he dipped his head down and put the cup to his mouth. He felt Marik slowly tilt the cup upward, letting the ice cold water slide down his throat. He finished it in one gulp.

Marik knelt down again after Joey's head was once again down and against his chest. After setting the now drained cup on the floor, he looked up into dull chocolate eyes. "Will you talk to me yet?" he asked kindly.

After a short moment, Joey finally spoke. "What's with the kindness? It doesn't suit you."

A smirk, though soft, went on Marik's face. "You are my guest, yet you are the bait. Hosts threat their guests with kindness, but I cannot let the bait escape."

Joey glared at him. "To answer your first question, _host_, he'll never take it. He might've if you kidnapped Mokuba-" he smirked- "wrong bait."

Marik stood, laughing his evil laugh. "Oh, I have the correct bait, Joey. Why do you think he came as soon as I told him where you were? If he didn't care about you, he wouldn't have come at all. Oh, and why do you think he wanted to meet with you so secretly the other night, hm?" He smirked widely, talking quieter. "It was because he wanted to confess his true feelings to you." He turned around and headed for the door. "Think about that while you're being taken to your new location."

ixi

Kaiba was the first to get below deck. They had searched everywhere on deck, but found no clues to where Joey was being held. It seemed as if the boat was now abandoned because the guards weren't there.

Three teenage boys walked into a dusky room. It was dimly lit with a overhead lamp, and a light layer of dust covered each box that was pushed against the walls. Yugi and Tristan looked around as Kaiba went into another room. This one was cleaner, but with an identical light source. In the middle of the room was a simple wooden chair, and chains were around it. A cup sat little ways from the chair.

"He was here," he said grimly.

Both Tristan and Yugi came up and stood beside him in the doorway. "Where do you think they took him?" asked Yugi.

Tristan looked to Kaiba. "You said he'd be here."

Kaiba stared blankly at the empty chair. "Marik himself said he'd be here."

Yugi proceeded inside and looked down at the chains. "Why would they move him? _How _did they move him? Wouldn't we have seen him?"

"He was moved to a warehouse while you were getting past the guards."

The three of them whipped around, to see a Rare Hunter standing on the last step. "Where is he!" Kaiba outburst.

The Rare Hunter smirked. "I just told you, and I won't repeat myself." He eyed each teen's menacing glares. "Do not fear. He is unharmed and is being treated well."

"He better be..." Kaiba growled.

"Which warehouse is he in?" Tristan asked calmly.

The Rare Hunter held up three fingers before disappearing up the stair case.

"Three," Kaiba said softly. He started to follow the Rare Hunter that had just left. "Let's go. I know where it is.

iii

"MARIK!" Kaiba yelled once opening the door that went into warehouse three- it had been unlocked. The entire place was pitch black.

"Maybe that Rare Hunter lied..." said Yugi.

Kaiba ignored him. "I know you're here! Come out now!"

"Seto!"

Kaiba felt his heart skip a beat when he heard his voice. His eyes widened as he gaped at the darkness. Unable to speak, he started inside.

"Joey!" Tristan yelled as he went to stop Kaiba. He grabbed the collar of Kaiba's shirt. "I don't think so. Not without light, coz it might be a trap."

Kaiba allowed himself to be pulled back. "You're right... I wasn't thinking..."

"Tristan, you there!" sounded the unmistakable voice of Joey.

Yugi stepped inside the doorway. "We're here to get you out of here, Joey! But where's Marik!"

"Right here."

The lights overhead blinked on, shedding light onto the entire room. Ahead of them, near, near the farthest wall, was a figure sitting in a throne-like chair. Little ways from the figure was Joey, chained to a wooden chair identical to the one on the yacht. Boxes were everywhere, pushed and stacked against walls and such.

Kaiba was the first to compose himself and start walking inside. He felt Yugi and Tristan silently following, and two other sets of eyes were watching him come closer. He walked up and stopped directly in front of Marik and Joey. From the corner of his eye, he inspected Joey. His blonde hair was in complete diarray. Under his left eye was a black bruise, and his lower lip was bleeding. He glared at the smirking Marik. "Your Rare Hunter lied to me."

"Not completely," said Marik, "He wouldn't talk to me, and he still won't." He smirked even wider. "But I notice how he'll talk to _you_..."

"Stop rubbing it in," Kaiba snapped. "What do you want from me?"

Marik's pale eyes landed on Yugi and Tristan. "It doesn't concern them."

"It does if our friends are involved!" yelled Yugi.

Marik's eyes went back to Kaiba. "Do they know?" He watched Kaiba give one single nod. "Hm. That must've taken some courage..."

"What do you want from me?" Kaiba repeated slowly.

Marik leaned forward in his throne. "Tell him, Joey. Tell him my proposal."

Kaiba looked over at Joey. His head was resting against his chest, unable to see Kaiba. He went over and knelt beside Joey. "Joey?" he questioned. He was tempted to rest his left hand on the blonde's thigh, but decided against it. "Talk to me. Tell me why this is happening. What has he done to you?"

Joey turned his head and looked at him. A little warmth came back to his eyes when they saw the CEO. He slightly smiled. "I'm all right, Set. Just a little hungry, that's all," he said quietly.

Kaiba almost laughed. 'Always hungry... He's okay.' He smiled. "I'm glad you're okay. Now," he said, frown replacing the smile, "what's he talking about? What's this proposal?"

Joey looked at Kaiba sadly. "Promise me that you won't take it, then I'll tell you."

"Joey..." he said barely above a whisper, "Please, since _he_ won't tell me, _you_ have to."

"Well...?" Marik questioned impatiently, "Has he told you?"

Kaiba shot him a glare before looking at Joey again. "Please. I wanna get you out of here."

Joey stared into Kaiba's eyes. "He wants that Egyptian God card you have. You can give it to him, but he won't let me go until..."

"Until what, Joey?" Kaiba asked desperately, but still keeping his voice down so Marik couldn't hear.

Joey spoke in a quiet whisper, his gaze on the ground instead of Kaiba. "Until you let him rape me. And if you don't, then he'll kill you and Mokuba and take Kaiba Corp."

END CHAPTER TEN

A/N: It is weird because Kaiba has Obelisk, and Marik has Ra, but they're not in that long-ass tournament... And people are getting VERY OOC. Sorry about that... But on a lighter note, after reading this chapter, JT said that I'm as evil as a poisonous snake. To think, just three years ago, I was only as evil as a house fly. -sob- I'm so proud.

And now... the Quote of Chapter Ten: "That's a stupid question, Havoc. I say it because it's true. And whan _I'm_ fuhrer, there'll be changes... That day, all female officers will be required to wear TINY MINISKIRTS! -strikes pose-" -Colonel Sarcasm- I mean... Colonel Roy Mustang. "-nosebleeds while rubbing head on Roy's leg- You're amazing, Mustang! I'll follow you the rest of my life!" -Havoc. XD I love that episode- 'Flame vs. Fullmetal'... Yeah, I'm quoting Fullmetal Alchemist. ... I love EDDIE! -prances about-

-cough- PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! That is all.


	11. Alternative

Why did they make it so that we can't do keydoodles NEmore? Like a sweatdrop or crying... It sucks... I hate it. But anyway, to my story. I know I don't update very often, and that's why I don't get many reviews, but the reasons for that are beyond my control and I am deeply sorry. -bows- But I hope this story is still good- in your opinion- and that you'll continue to read the last 3 chapters. -smile- Enjoy.

**Teian no Kokoro-** Chapter Eleven: Alternative

Kaiba stared disbeievingly at Joey. He glanced over at Marik, who was smugly smiling. "That bastard..."

"Let him have me, Set," Joey pleaded, "I can take it..."

Kaiba scowled as he stood. "No Joey, " he said quietly, "_No one_ is allowed to touch you..."

_No one but me._

He walked away from Joey, his back toward Tristan and Yugi. "Well?" said Yugi, "What is the proposal?"

"You don't wanna know, "said Kaiba, still glaring at Marik. "This little proposal of his is too sick to repeat." He spoke again, this time to Marik. "You're not getting crap, Marik. Not him _or_ my company."

Marik's eyes lit up. (A/N: You know, how Pegasus' does?) Oh? Why say that?"

"Because I'm not letting your perverted hands touch neither me or Joey. "

"You know what that means, Kaiba," Marik said darkly, resting his head on his hands. "The Kaiba Corporation becomes mine, whether you like it or not. If I can't have Joey, then neither can you..."

Kaiba smirked. "Nope. You're not even getting that. Plus, I thought I proved that I'm not easy to take down."

Tristan walked up behind Kaiba and leaned in toward his ear. "What's the plan, Kaiba?" he whispered.

Kaiba paused before answering. "To tell the truth, I'm not sure myself."

"You're gonna get us outta here, right?"

Kaiba resisted the temptation to smirk. "My main concern is Joey. You_ decided_ to come, so I'm not worrying about you or Yugi."

"What about you?"

Kaiba's face dropped slightly. "As... long as Joey gets out, I don't care."

"Heh... Typical Kaiba. Whatever you think of genius, do it for Joey." Kaiba felt Tristan back away.

Marik smirked. "Done plotting?"

Kaiba gave a smirk that rivaled Marik's. "Of course."

_I don't know what I'm doing, for the first time in my life... Why can't I think of anything that will get us out of this?_

"So...? What's your plan, Kaiba?"

_I need more time! Just take joey and run?_ He glanced over at said boy, to see that the chains were also connected to the chair. _No. Hm. He most likely has a few Rare Hunters lingering around..._

"Is the great Seto Kaiba at a loss of words? Could you be _bluffing_?"

_I got it._

"No, I'm not bluffing, "Kaiba said arrogantly, "Just making a few more calculations before I put my plan into affect.

"_I_ propose a duel. If you win, we go by your original proposal. If I win, then we, including Joey, get out of here unharmed. And," he paused, eyeing the treasure in Marik's right hand, "I get your Millennium Rod."

Marik sat back and laced his fingers together. "You always rely on dueling. I thought you learned from Pegasus that it doen't get you out of everything."

"Don't do this, Seto," said Joey, "You're gonna get killed..."

"I'm with Joey on this one, Kaiba," Yugi spoke up, "You've gotta remember thathe has _two_ God cards."

Kaiba continued top stare at the Egyptian. "It least I'll try..."

_I don't want him to die._

Marik smirked. "Fine. And I feel like being fair this time." He popped the Millennium eye out of its socket.

_I don't want him to be touched._

"Can we duel here? I don't have of your wonderful dueling devices here, since I wasn't counting on a duel..."

"I don't mind."

_And..._

Without being told, Tristan went over a brought an empty box for them to duel on. Both opponents came to opposite sides of the box and glared at each other. Each brought out their decks to shuffle the cards.

_I don't want him to grieve... for me._

Marik got his hand ready before Kaiba did. "Let's start this pointless duel."

iii (They duel for a while, but I don't know exactly what cards they have, so we're gonna just skip a bit... You know- over the boring stuff.)

"I sacrifice my three monsters to bring out Slifer the Sky Dragon," Marik said excitedly, putting te three monsters he had on the field into the graveyard and putting down said card. "And since I have five cards in my hand he has on attack power of five thousand!" Marik smirked evilly. "Try to beat _that_, Kaiba..."

Kaiba drew a card and looked at it. _Sakuretsu Armor... That'll be helpful... _He looked at the rest of his hand. _I still have Obelisk..._

"I send my three Blue Eyes White Dragons to the graveyard, and summon Obelisk the Tormentor. I also set down two cards, and end my turn."

Marik stared down at Kaiba's play. "How nice... You play the soon-to-be-mine card." He drew a card from his pile. "Okay... Let's have all three Gods on the field!" He laid down Monster Reborn first, then searched through his graveyard. His eyes lit up when he came to the card he wanted. Setting it down, he revealed it to be his Winged Dragon of Ra. Marik chuckled evilly. "Winged Dragon of Ra, _kill_ Obelisk the Tormentor!"

Kaiba threw the 'dead' card in his graveyard pile as Marik placed thw Winged Dragon into his own. _Shit... What do I do...? That was my most powerful card... Think! _He closed his eyes. _I'm sorry Joey... I failed you..._ He put his fingertips on his deck, ready to draw a new card.

_Don't give up, Seto!_ said Joey's voice from the back of his mind, _I believe in you... And..._

_I... I love you..._

Kaiba drew the card and looked at it. His eyes widened at what it was. _What the-?_ There in his hand sat Joey's card- the Red Eyes Black Dragon. _How in the hell-!_ He looked over at Joey. He was looking directly at him with warm eyes and a soft smile on his lips.

_I love you, Seto... So you can beat him! Beat Marik!_

Kaiba turned over one of his upside-down cards. "I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw three more cards." He drew three more, and smirked."I also activate this card," he said turning over another card, "which allows me to summon a monster without any sacrifices. So I summon the Red Eyes Black Dragon, and lay this face down." He smirked wider. "Your move."

Marik laughed. "How touching! Your lovers' card in you deck! It is for luck? Well, it won't save you, anyhow, because as soon as I kill it, this will all be over, and I win. Slifer, kill the Red Eyes!"

Kaiba wagged an index finger. "Oh no, Marik, you're not touching the Red Eyes." He flipped over a card. "Sakuretsu Armor. Kills the monster that's ordered to attack. Say good bye to your Slifer."

Marik scowled as he placed the card in the graveyard. "I highly doubt you'll be able to elude me again, Kaiba. I set a monster down in defense mode. It's your turn."

Kaiba kept himself from smirking. _Oh yes I will..._ he thought as he drew another card.

"Careful Kaiba," said Tristan, "You only have four hundred life points left."

"I know," he replied, seting down the card he drew. "I summon Ryu-Kishin Powered."

Marik laughed. "Is that the best you can do? Heh, I'm not even going to draw. This ends now. I reveal Dark Elf, and attack your Ryu-Kishin Powered!"

Kaiba flipped over another card with lightening speed, showing that it was a Sakurestu Armor. "You're right, Marik, it ends now." He smirked. "Direct damage, and I win."

Marik backed away, staring wide-eyed at the plating field. "NO! This isn't possible! I had _two_ Egyptian God cards!"

"It doesn't matter, Marik," said a deep voice coming from behind Kaiba. Yami stepped up beside the CEO. "Kaiba won. Unchain Joey, and give up your Millennium Rod."

Marik glared at him. "So, the pharaoh comes out. How nice to see you." He reached into his hoodie pocket, and threw a silver key onto the box.

"The _Rod_, Marik, give it up," said Yami.

Kaiba immediately snatched the key and jogged over to Joey. "I knew you'd win..." the blonde said as Kaiba went behind him to start unlocking the padlocks that kept the chain on him.

"I couldn't have done it without you," Kaiba replied quietly. He turned the key inside a second padlock, loosening the chains more. "I heard you..." He unlocked the lock at Joey's feet and began to unwind them off him.

"Heard me?" Joey asked as Kaiba pulled the chains off above his above his head.

Kaiba nodded, getting the chains off Joey's feet. "Yeah." The chains fell, and he looked up. "You told me to not give up, that you believed in me, and..."

Joey smiled. "You heard that, huh? So you also heard me tell you that I love you, right?"

Kaiba blushed but still managed to smile. "Yeah." He came up and brushed his lips against Joey's. "And your love is requited..."

Meanwhile, Yami and Marik were continuing to glare at each other. "Marik..." Yami said warningly.

Marik back away. "No... Forget it!"

"Give it up NOW!" Yami yelled, throwing out his palm.

Marik was blown off his feet, the MIllennium Rod falling from his hand. He hit the back wall hard, rendering him unconscious.

Tristan went over and gatered Kaiba's deck as Yami went over and picked up the fallen item. Kaiba picked Joey up bridal-style. "Could you hold on to those for me?" he asked Tristan.

He shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

Yami came up and held out the Millennium Rod. "Here's the second half of your prize."

Kaiba shook his head. "I don't want it. I was planning on giving it to you, anyway. Keep it safe."

Yami nodded once. "Of course. Thank you."

Joey slightly tightened his hold around Kaiba's neck. "Shall we?"

Kaiba didn't resist the faint smile that came to his lips. "We shall."

END CHAPTER ELEVEN

One chapter to go, then epilogue, and then it shall be COMPLEEETE! And then I can put up my Yami no Matsuei yaoi, then my Cliffie/ Albel fic... Sorry, thinking out loud.

I told you these chapters would be strange. Please don't flame me for the strangeness or that the characters are OOC, coz I know and I apologize. But if you must flame, I guess I won't mind- it'll still be a review! -smile-

Quote of the Chapter: This one comes from Yami no Matsuei manga 2. Tsuzuki: "Please. Don't. Yell. Defend me, Hisoka." Hisoka: "He says he was 'observing society' by bar hopping." Konoe: "Bullcrap! Tatsumi, start the briefing! Be loud!" Sorry, I wanted a YnM quote, and I couldn't decide which, so I went with a scene instead. "Shut up, Drinky."-Konoe. -laughs-

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! (If you review... you get cookies. SHH!) -bows- That is all.


	12. Aftermath

It's the next to last chapter! HORRAY! I'm almost done! HORRAY! So close to being able to type my Cliff/Albel fic... HORRAY! Anyway, on to the story. (By the way, if anyone reviewed me, I thank you. -bows-)

**Teian no Kokoro-** Chapter Twelve: Aftermath

'So, that's what happened. It's been great since. I convinced Dad to let me live with Seto, but he still doesn't like that I'm gay. Serenity doesn't mind and wishes us well. And it's been fun living here. It's fun playing Hide and Seek in this big place! (Normally, whoever hides ends up winning. XD)

'I guess me and Seto have progressed in our relationship. He frenched me yesterday... He's a _really_ good kisser. I haven't been kissed like that before, but... he set a good example of how a kiss should go! We were just sitting there alone, watching TV, and I was leaning on him, and... he just turned me and did it. But I think that's what it's gonna stay at for right now. It's still sinking in that I love him and all, so I don't wanna go any further for a while. Seto'll probably say the same.

'The whole gang comes over every now and then. Tea wishes she'd have been in town when I got kiddnapped. Tristan still hasn't told Duke about how he really feels. (Stubborn prick...) Yugi... is straight and normal. Mai barely ever comes by. I think it's coz she has a crush on me and can't believe that I'm gay... I dunno. She's still a little scared.

'Oh, and another funny thing- every time Tristan sees me and Seto kiss, he walks away twitching.'

ixi

"Say _er_, Joey."

"This is so stupid..."

"Just say it."

"Er. There, happy?"

"No, now do it again."

"... er."

Kaiba smiled. "Good. Now repeat after me- Time"

"Time..."

"Wiz-."

"Wiz-."

"-erd."

"... i'd"

Kaiba sighed. "Wrong again..."

Tristan sat on the couch, holding back his laughter. "What are they doing?" asked Yugi as he walked into the living room.

"Kaiba's teaching Joey how to speak properly," Tea giggled

"C'mon, Seto... This is pointless..." Joey pleaded.

"You saying 'Time Wizid' is _annoying_!" said Kaiba.

"Well, if you haven't noticed, you're the only one who cares about the way I talk!" Joey retorted. Three loud coughs sounded at the same time. "Oh come _on_ people...!"

Kaiba smiled. "I told you. Say _er_."

Joey sighed in defeat. "Er."

"Say it again."

"Er." He kept his head down. "This is so stupid..." he said under his breath.

"Now say this slowly- _erd_."

"...erd..."

Yugi continued staring at the couple. "This just keeps getting weirder and weirder..."

"Hey Kaiba. Does Mokuba know that you and Joey are together?" Tea asked.

Kaiba and Joey stared at each other. "Uh..." said Kaiba.

"Erd?" said Joey.

"I, uh... I don't know how to tell him..." Kaiba said slowly.

"I know!" Tristan said, "Just set him down and say this- 'Mokuba, sometimes a guy falls in love with another guy, and they end up together. Well, that's how it is between me and Joey. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go bang him now.'" Yugi looked horrified. Kaiba looked quite angry, and Tea shook her head.

"Erd!" Joey said with wide eyes.

Tea looked at Kaiba. "Just what have you _done_ to him?"

"He's practicing," Kaiba answered before glaring at Tristan. "That is **not** funny."

Tristan laughed. "It was a _joke_! You know- ha ha!"

"Well," said Yugi, "You could just let him walk in on you two kissing or something..."

Kaiba went to glare at Yugi. "Hell no." He then turned to Joey. "Right. Now say herd."

"... herd." His face lit up. "Hey, I got it!"

Kaiba kissed Joey, making Tristan flinch and look away. "Good job," Kaiba said, pulling away. "Say third."

"Third..." Joey said slowly, getting it right.

"I think it's working!" said Tea.

"Turd!" Joey shouted randomly, making all of them laugh.

iii

Each star in the black sky shone brighter than ever. A cresent moon was directly above them to light the night. Every bug that could make a sound seemed to be out, their noises echoing in the silence. The air was warm, and a gentle comforting breeze swept by every so often.

Kaiba and Joey were laying on the roof of their home. Joey was on Kaiba's left, his head resting above Kaiba's heart, and a hand placed on Kaiba's opposite hip. Kaiba's arms were around him to hold him close.

"I will never figure out how you found that particular way to get up here..." Joey said quietly.

"I got bored a few years ago," said Kaiba.

Joey smiled. "I figured that..."

A few minutes passed in silence. Kaiba felt Joey's breathing get quieter. "Joey... You awake?" he asked softly.

Joey buried his nose into Kaiba's shirt. "With the racket those bugs are making, hell yeah I'm awake."

Kaiba chuckled. "Just making sure."

Joey sighed contently, running his hand over Kaiba's stomach. When he felt muscular abs, he ran them over again.

Kaiba smiled. "What're you doing?" he questioned.

Joey's hand went under Kaiba's shirt, feeling his abdomen with his fingertips. "No fair!" he pouted, "You got a six pack!"

"What?" Kaiba laughed.

Joey straddled the Ice King and lifted his shirt. "Oh, cool..." he breathed. He watched Kaiba's stomach rise and fall each time a breath was taken. He ran both hands over Kaiba's abs slowly.

"You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?" Kaiba asked, resting his hands on Joey's thighs.

A grin went to Joey's face. "Make 'em hard." Kaiba obliged and made his stomach muscles tighten. Joey poked each section of his stomach. "Geez, man! These're rock solid! I envy you..."

Kaiba could feel his cheeks getting hot, and it wasn't because of the temperature outside. "It's not a big deal..."

Still grinning, Joey leaned up and lightly kissed him. "I'll bet you all of Kaiba Corp. that you're blushing."

"Oh darn," Kaiba said sarcastically, "I'm out of a job."

("Jim Bob went poo on Kichigai. The end." Just putting what's in my notebook. Sorry for ruining the moment. XD -Blame Ryuukai!)

"Aww..." Joey said, "I'll let you be my secretary." His eyes lit up. "Ooh! I just thought of something!" He scooted down and kissed Kaiba's stomach. "I bless thee!"

Kaiba brought him back up and smiled. "Silly inu-chan..."

Joey pouted. "Why do I always have to be a fucking _dog_..."

Kaiba came up and kissed his lips. "Because I... say so..." he said inbetween kisses.

"Mm," Joey mumbled through a longer kiss, "Okay."

Kaiba ran his right hand through Joey's hair as they kissed, his left on the small of Joey's back. He let each soft strand slide effortlessly through his fingers as he kept sliding his lower lip into Joey's mouth. After a few teasing kisses, Joey caught Kaiba's lip and made both of their mouths open. Their tongues intertwined with each other, hurridly rubbing and exploring. Joey's hands rested on Kaiba's chest as he lowered himself further against his boyfriend's body. Kaiba lightly moaned and slid his hand from Joey's scalp to the back of his neck.

Joey raised himself up a few minutes later and stared into Kaiba's eyes as they caught their breath. Kaiba smirked up at him. "I love you..."

"I love you, too..." Joey said before smiling. "Belt boy."

Kaiba laughed as Joey got off him. "Still stuck on that, huh?" He watched Joey grin as he remembered something. "I've been meaning to ask you something. How did your Red Eyes get into my deck?"

"Remember a few days before we stpped talking, we were really bored, so we decided to duel just for the hell of it?" Kaiba nodded. "When I was shuffling your deck, I slipped it in then."

"Why?"

Joey shrugged. "I dunno. 'cause I thought it'd be a good luck charm and I had a crush on you?"

Kaiba carefully stood on his inclined roof. "Well, then you thought right, and I thank you. " He extended a hand to help him up. "Come on. It's late, and we have school tomorrow."

Joey took his hand and got to his feet. "Why can't we just skip school? Have a fun day together?"

Kaiba softly smiled. "Good idea..."

END CHAPTER TWELVE

HORRAY! One chapter to go! PLEASE REVIEW! I'm still giving out cookies...

And here's quote number 12: " -singing- PRAISE TO HIM, JIM-BOB!-" Wait, wrong quote. -flips through Holy Book o' Quotes- Ah yes. "Of course I'm her... murfle flergen!" -dies laughing- I LOVE Absolute Boyfriend (manga series in the Shojo Beat magazines). Night's so cute! (Note: "Murfle flergen" is jibberish for boyfriend.) Everytime I think of him saying that, I can't help but laugh out loud, then people look at me funny. XD


	13. Exposed

The epilogue. The last chapter. After this, it's done. End. Fin. Owari. COMPLETELY DONE TYPING THIS! So enjoy it while you can. (And thank you to reviewers! -hands out cookies-)

**WARNING!** There IS a lime- two gay guys have sex. Yeah. I shouldn't have to warn you since if you've read this far, then you don't care. But still. You can't say I didn't warn you. XP

**Teian no Kokoro**- Epilogue: Exposed

"I'm beatin' ya'!"

"Nuh- uh! _I'm_ beating _you!_"

"Take that!"

"NO! That hurt!"

Joey laughed as he pressed a few buttons on the PS2 controller. "Mokuba, it was supposed to."

(A/N: Imagine they're playing Soul Calibur or something like that. XD)

Kaiba leaned on the wall in the back of the room silently. He had been back there for ten minutes watching Joey and Mokuba play video games in the den. He actually found it quite funny as they beat each other up in the game, but didn't do it aloud to make his presence known.

"I'm getting bored with this," said Mokuba.

Joey put his controller down and turned off the console. "Yeah, me too." He turned to Mokuba, who was sitting on the floor beside him.

Mokuba scooted back to sit againstthe couch. "How 'bout we talk?"

Joey shugged. "Why not?" He stared at the floor. "I wonder where Seto is..."

"He's probably at work," said Mokuba. He smiled. "I'm glad you two are best friends now."

Joey also smiled, still staring at the ground. "Yeah... me too..."

Kaiba smirked. _More_ _than just friends, really..._

"I notice that you're here a lot," said Mokuba, "Why?"

Kaiba tensed up. _uh-oh..._

"Problems at home," Joey answered. "Seto's letting me stay here until I can go back."

_Phew... Nice thinking..._

"Oh, wow," said Mokuba, "When do you think you can go back home?"

Joey shrugged. "I dunno. Don't really care, though. I like it here!"

_He_ is _home..._

Mokuba grinned. "Why don't you just live here?"

"Think Seto'll let me?"

"Well... you two are friends... He probably will."

Smirking, Kaiba left the room. _Doesn't suspect a thing..._

iii

Kaiba looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a black button up dress shirt and black leather pants that clung to his thighs. His shirt was loose and tucked in.

"What do you think?" he asked Joey, who was lying on his stomach on their bed and watching him. He turned to look at his ass. "Do these pants look right on me?"

Joey rolled his eyes. "You look _fine_, Seto..."

Kaiba turned back around and straightened his shirt. "Do you think they're too tight in the front?"

"You look good in _every_thing," said Joey.

Kaiba grinned at him. "... Even in a diaper?"

Joey put his index finger on his chin and looked like he thought about it. "Well, _no_... It'd make your ass big and crinnkly. Ew." He sat up and let his legs hang off the edge of the bed.

Kaiba laughed and sat on Joey's lap. "What's wrong with that?"

"You shouldn't hide that great ass of yours..." Joey said timidly.

"You're not bad yourself..." Kaiba pointed out.

Joey started blushing. "Shut up..."

Kaiba let his hands rest on Joey's thighs. "I refuse to lie to you."

"Oh I feel so special," Joey said sarcastically, giving him a swift kiss.

Kaiba kept smiling as he closed in for another kiss. "You should..."

Joeyput his arms lightly around his boyfriend as they let their tongues battle for the third time. His hands slowly slid down, his left resting on Kaiba's hip, the other cupping the leather-clad ass. Kaiba gave a light moan as he scooted closer. Joey gasped at the intimate contact and separated from the kiss. He stared into Kaiba's eyes, questioning.

"What's wrong?" Kaiba asked, scooting back.

"I..." said Joey, staring down at Kaiba's stomach, "I'm sorry, I just flipped out..."

"It's all right," Kaiba said, moving to get up.

Joey grabbed Kaiba's hips and sat him back down. "Wait. I, uh... Maybe we... This is if, um..." He began to blush again.

Kaiba softly smiled as he got up, watching Joey's face sadden. "Scoot back," he said before heading toward the door. He heard shuffling on the bed as he closed the door and turned the light out. He walked around his dresser and turned on the small lamp that sat there. The light was a dim yellow that cast shadows upon everything. With his back still toward Joey, he started unbuttoning his shirt.

"I thought you had that big meeting with your new associates in half an hour?" said Joey.

Kaiba let the shirt slide gracfully off his shoulders and onto the floor. "Oh well," he said as he turned around and walked to the bed, "They'll eventually figure out that I'm not coming."

Joey watched Kaiba crawl onto the bed and come up to tower over him. "So screw them, huh?"

The CEO straddled his thighs. "Not exactly..."

Kaiba rested his hands on the other's chest as he leaned down to capture his lips. Joey's arms went around his torso, hands laying flat on his shoulder blades. Kaiba pryed open Joey's lips with his tongue, allowing them to passionately kiss. He wanted to lower himself to allow more contact, but thought against it due to not wanting to alarm his lover. Knowing his want, Joey used his arms to force Kaiba lower.

A mix of butterflies and fire spread through Kaiba's loins. _This is really happening..._

He slipped his tongue out and licked Joey's upper lip. He kissed it, then went down to giving butterfly kisses to his neck. He shifted his legs, letting their manhoods rub against eachother. At the same time, he nipped at Joey's neck, which made a moan escape from his throat. Smirking at th reaction, Kaiba ran his hands down Joey's torso and slipped inside his shirt. He continued to nip at the flesh on Joey's neck then soothing it with his tongue.

A moment later, Kaiba was discarding Joey's shirt onto the floor. His eyes scanned the newly revealed skin before him. His chest was more defined than his own, and his ribs were slightly sticking out from laying down. His abdomen held shadows that were being cast my muscles moving as he breathed. Kaiba's sight went up to Joey's face, which looked uncertain about the next action. Smirking, Kaiba put his hands on each side of Joey's slender waist and started running his lips over Joey's right nipple. He grinded himself once against Joey, making a whimper of pleasure come from both of them.

Joey's hands tightened into fists on Kaiba's back as his breathing became more shallow. Kaiba gave one last lick to the now hardened nipple before starting to kiss lower. He felt Joey spread his legs beneath him, allowing more access. Kaiba looked up from kissing as he started to undo Joey's pants.

The door across the room opened quickly. Joey gasped as Kaiba straightenedup and looked to the doorway.

"Um, Seto?" said Mokuba, "I think a gu-" His eyes must have adjusted to the dim light as he looked upon the scene before him. Kaiba heard Joey gulp as he felt his cheeks burn. Mokuba's eyes went to Joey, then Kaiba. "Uh... Sorry!" Mokuba said right before slamming the door shut.

Kaiba let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding and collapse onto Joey's shoulder. "Shit..."

"Well... he knows now..." said Joey.

"This isn't the way I wanted for him to find out..." Kaiba said quietly.

"What're we gonna do about him?"

Kaiba thought for a second. "He's young. He'll get over it." He raised himself to look at Joey. "I say we go back to where we left off." He watched Joey smile in approval.

iii

Kaiba approached a playground. The skyabove was grey, and the air was chilly. He was wearing a black shirt and black jeans with his dark blue trench coat. As he came closer, he reached into one of his pockets and took out a permanent marker.

He stepped onto the mulch and looked at the equipment. Various writings dotted everything, and he could easily pickout Joey's chicken-scratch. Softly smiling, he stopped at the orange tunnel slide. He read something, then uncapped his marker. He scribbled something out and wrote another this above it.

Kaiba looked upon his writing. _There. Now it says the truth_.

The sentence, all in his handwriting, had the third word scratched and replaced. It now said _'Mutt fucked Belt Boy.'_

END

... FINISHED! Do you think the ending's cute? I thought it was... And now, it's time for my final quote. This one comes from my favorite episode of Fullmetal Alchemist, coming from my lovely baby Eddie impersonating our favorite colonel: "Struck out on the Philosopher's Stone again, huh? How am I supposed to keep funding this wild goose chase? Money doesn't grow on trees there, chief! Ed, where'd you run off to? Oh, there you are! I couldn't see you over my paper work, seeing as you're so short and all! Hahaha!" LOL. And i love the "dance" he does with it. ..."I like to move it- move it." ROTFLMAO Don't ask. Well, take care now, bye bye then!

Written 8-13-04 to 9-19-04

If you're a fan of Star Ocean 3: Till the end of time, and like the pairing of Cliff/Albel, be sure to read the next story I put up!


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